


Kingdom Come

by timmytam0907



Category: RWBY
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama, F/F, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-10
Updated: 2017-01-27
Packaged: 2018-06-01 12:33:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 149,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6519886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timmytam0907/pseuds/timmytam0907
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ruby grew up as Cinder Fall's sister and turns into a rather mischievous troublemaker. In a turn of events, she ends up enrolling and infiltrating Beacon Academy, determined to help her sister by gathering information. After some time passes though, she begins to question whether or not she is just pretending her ties of friendship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

“Excuse me!”

Cinder turned around at the sound, looking left and right, but didn’t see anyone in the frozen wasteland around her. She shrugged it off, shoving her hands deeper in her coat pockets, but just when she was about to continue walking, she felt someone tug on her pants. Looking down, she sees a little girl with brown hair and silver eyes in a red hooded cloak that was much too big for her and was no taller than Cinder’s knees. The teen arched an eyebrow questioningly at the little girl, “Yes…?”

“I’m Ruby Sh-Sha-ow W-Wlong.” She introduced herself, stuttering over her name “What’s your name?”

“… Cinder…” The teen stated cautiously.

She was met with a bright grin from the child. “Can you help me look for heaven?” The little girl asked with a wide smile

The black haired teen couldn’t help but let her eyebrows shoot up in question. She looked around, hoping someone would come by and save her from communicating with this child. As expected, no one came. She sighed as she looked back at the red hooded girl warily, “You mean Haven Academy? If so, you have a long way to go kid.”

The little girl huffed, “No! I mean Heaven!” She proclaimed with a stomp on the snow and a hand pointing to the sky. 

Cinder stared at the child and slowly glanced up at the sky, and brought her gaze back down. “… Why?”

Ruby beamed, “To be with my Mommy! Uncle, Papa, and Yang told me that my mommy died and went to heaven, but I miss her so I’m gonna go there so I can be with her!”

The amber-eyed girl couldn’t help it, so she let out a loud laugh.

The brunette pouted, “What’s so funny!?” she demanded

“Little red,” the teen chuckled “Heaven doesn’t exist.”

The child gasped, “You take that back! Heaven does exist! It does!”

Cinder furrowed her eyebrows, “No… It doesn’t.”

“Does so!”

“Does not!”

“Does so!”

“Does not!”

“Does so!” Ruby proclaimed with another stomp of her foot.

“Does not!” Cinder shouted, having enough of this childish foolishness. “Your dad and uncle lied to you! There is no heaven! Your mom didn’t go anywhere, she died, which means she’s gone forever! So she’s never coming back, ever!”

The child had tears in her eyes from being yelled at, but refused to back down. “You’re the one who’s lying! Heaven does exist! Everyone goes there! Papa said so! He said everyone who is loved goes there after they die! And I love my mommy! So she HAS to be there!”

The little girl’s statement struck something in the teen, causing her eyes to well up as tears threatened to fall.

Ruby looked confused and forgot about her initial anger, now worried about the older girl. “Hey, what’s wrong? Why are you so sad?”

“I’m not sad!” 

“Yes you are! But that’s okay, because I’m sad too!” 

“…Why are you sad?”

“Because you’re sad!”

And that did it. Cinder couldn’t help but to fall to her knees and let out a heart-wrenching sob. It only got worse when the little girl merely climbed into her lap, hugged her, and cried with her.

After several minutes of crying, the teen began to calm down and let out a watery chuckle. “You don’t even know why I’m crying.”

“I’m crying because you’re sad!” The child stated, punctuating it with a loud sniffle.

Cinder couldn’t help but let out a laugh. The girl was so simple, so straightforward, and so empathetic… “Do you want to know why I’m sad Ruby?”

Ruby nodded

“I’m sad because… If heaven exists, then I won’t go there.” The teenager said with a sad smile.

The little girl tilted her head, “But why?”

“Because…” Cinder sighed, “Because I’ve done some bad things, bad things that cause trouble and hurt people. And because no one loves me.”

Ruby stared at the older girl for a while until finally… She let out a wail.

Startled and worried that something was wrong with the little girl; Cinder took a gentle hold on the child’s tiny shoulders. “Ruby? What’s wrong?”

“It’s just so sad! Everyone needs love! Everyone!” The little girl cried.

Cinder just gave a small sad smile, “It’s okay Ruby… I’m use to it.”

“No!” the little girl shouted, startling the older girl once more.

“No?” Cinder asked confused

“If no one loves you, then I will!” Ruby shouted with determination, leaning forward so quickly she knocked the teen back into the snow and gave her the hardest hug that her small arms could give.

Cinder was so shocked and touch, she couldn’t help but let the tears fall once more and wrap her arms around this tiny child. 

“Do you mean it?” She asked in a voice that could barely be considered a whisper

She couldn’t see it, but with Ruby’s head in the crook of her neck, she felt the child nod. “Yeah, I love you s-Sinder!”

The teen couldn’t help but let out a shaky breath, a result of attempting to hold back another sob. Being loved was all Cinder ever wanted and asked for, and here a little girl with a heart much too big was handing it to her.

The feelings of happiness overwhelmed her and made her feel so warm and giddy, it was just so… wonderful. And now that she felt it and was being given it, she never wanted to let go.

Getting up, she helped the little girl to her feet, “Ruby, Would you like to search for heaven with me?”

The small child nodded her head and eagerly took Cinder’s hand, and was led away.


	2. Waiting

Ruby giggled as she peeked over the rooftop to the sidewalk below.

Any moment now and… - There she is!

The teen duck her head lower once she heard the sound of glass clicking on the sidewalk get louder and louder. Sure enough, the person wearing them rounded around the corner.

Ruby couldn’t help but let out another small snicker as she slowly unfolded her hook swords. Quickly, she jumped to the dark, side balcony below, hooking onto the balcony floor, stopping momentum with her feet to the wall causing a small thud to sound. Wincing at the sudden sound, she tilted her head towards the target to make sure she hadn’t aroused any suspicion.

The woman hadn’t noticed.

Good.

Ruby grinned, now she would just have to wait until her target reached the door… aaaaaannnddd….

NOW!

Quickly unhooking her swords from the balcony, Ruby propelled herself to the balcony over the door and grabbed hold of the railings there with her hooks. The other woman was digging through her purse, so she wouldn’t noticed the girl dangling over her

If there was any time to move, it was now.

Silently, Ruby swung her feet over her head and hooked them onto the handles of her sword, and slowly lowered the upper half of her body.

Once a little behind, but above the target, the black haired girl silently gathered air through her mouth and-

“Good evening little monkey.” Her target said without looking up, amusement lacing her voice.

The girl hanging spat her tongue out and allowed all her breath go, her face showing nothing but disappointment as her target chuckled. “Cinder~!” Ruby whined, flipping down and unhooking her swords by kicking them off. “How did you know?”

“I saw your shadow,” the other laughed as she pulled out her keys and unlocked the door. “Nice try, though next time. Make sure you’re not blocking one of the sources of light.” She suggested while pointing to the streetlight.

The brunette pouted, allowing her swords to fold up once more and clipped them on her lower back as she followed the black haired woman into the house.

After hanging her purse and bag on the coat hanger, Cinder turned around with a mischievous grin on her face.

“Oh no!” Ruby warned, but before she could make a dash for it, the amber-eyed woman threw her arms around the younger girl and dropped her weight. “Ack!!! Ci~nder!!!” the brunette whined as she struggled to move forward. “Get off me! Cinder!!!”

“Oh no, whatever should I do?” the woman asked, “It seems as though my legs are no longer capable of holding me up.” and with that she allowed more of her weight to drop onto the girl.

“Cinder!!!” Ruby whined as she struggled to keep them up. But alas, she could not hold both of their weights like that any longer, and so she dropped to the ground.

“Oh my, it looks like my dearest sister is down. I guess I have no choice but to eat all those cookies I brought home.” Cinder stated, propping her arms up on the younger girl’s back to hold up her upper body.

The teen gasped, attempting to push herself up only to fail in vain. “You wouldn’t!”

“I would.” Cinder grinned, not that Ruby could see it.

“NOOO!!!” the brunette wailed, flailing her arms about in an attempt to pull herself from under the black haired woman

“And where do you think you’re going little mouse?”

“To eat all of the cookies before you!” Ruby said, still struggling to get away.

“And what makes you think you deserve cookies?” Cinder asked

A pause. “Because I~” The younger sister drawled out, trying to think of something, “I tried really really hard to scare you?”

The older sister tsk-ed at her naïve sibling, “But you failed. So I think you deserve a punishment instead.” She stated as she propped herself up to sit on top of the brunette

Ruby paled. “No! Cinder! Don’t!” She cried, attempting to crawl away again. Instead, wiggling fingers attacked her sides and she let out a squeal and a loud burst of laughter. “HAHAHA!!! STOP! CINDER! SIS! HAHAHA!!! STOP IT!!!”

Neither one of the girls heard the clanking of boots come up over the younger girl’s pleas and laughter.

“I’m still so amazed every time I see Cinder act so…” a pause “Immature.”

Letting up on her attack towards the younger girl, the older woman shot a glare at the silver haired boy.

Quickly, he shot his hands out in front of him in the universal sign of peace. “I’m just saying.”

Ruby was still catching her breath, but still shot a smile at him. “Mercury!” She cheered

The boy grinned, “What happened squirt?” He asked, “I thought that our plan was foolproof!”

The younger girl pouted, “Apparently she saw my shadow.”

Cinder arched a brow; “You mean you collaborated with him on this?” No wonder it failed, Mercury always forgot to consider the more obvious things.

“Yup! We planned and drew on the white board and everything!” Ruby smiled

Cinder rolled her eyes

“I told them it wouldn’t work.” Another voice sang, stepping up next to Mercury.

“But Emerald~!” Ruby whined, “ You always tell us our plans would never work.” She groaned, face planting to the floor and allowing her fists to lightly bang on it.

“And I’m always right stupid head.” The green haired girl stated, sticking her tongue out.

Ruby returned the gesture in kind.

Cinder rolled her eyes again, “What else did you do today petal?” she asked as she got off of the brunette and stood.

Her younger sister looked up in thought, staying on the floor but now kicking her legs in the air. After a while, it seemed as though she remembered something as her face contorted into a mischievous smirk. She then began snickering as she stared at the green haired girl, whom narrowed her eyes as if saying “Don’t you dare.” But of course, Ruby ignored the red eyed girl. “I stole from Emerald.” She snickered

“Wha-!” Said girl stuttered, “I told you! That one doesn’t count!” she growled

“Does so! I stole it fair and square!” Ruby stated.

“You ‘stole’ a bite of my sandwich! That hardly qualifies as stealing!” the green haired girl huffed.

“Aha! So you agree! I ‘stole’ something from you! So it counts!” the brunette pointed out, emphasizing her point by pushing herself up off the floor and landing on her feet while pointing at the older teen.

“I think the squirt just made her point loud and clear.” Mercury said, causing Emerald to growl.

“Ruby… I believe you deserve several cookies for that successful theft.” Cinder stated, proud that her sister was able to steal something from Emerald and be snarky about it.

The brunette cheered while Emerald protested.

“But after you finished eating them, you need to go prepare for your mission tonight?”

“Okay!” Ruby saluted, “Now hand over the cookies woman!” she demanded

Her older sister rolled her eyes, but fished through the bag that she hung earlier. Extracting out a bag of cookies, she handed them over to the youngest teen.

“YESH!!!” the brunette cheered as she quickly pressed a kiss on Cinder’s cheek as thanks and proceeded to tear open the bag and shoveling the cookies into her mouth.

“Now you remember what we all taught you right?” the scarlet dressed woman asked, garnering the other two’s attention.

“Mhm…” Ruby nodded while munching on her cooking.

The three suddenly began firing tips off one by one for the girl.

“Remember, if what you’re doing requires sneaking past someone, you need to distract your target.” Mercury said, “Keep their guard down, and then when it’s time, it’ll be as easy as…” He snapped his fingers

“And one way to do that is to show them you pickpocketed them!” Emerald uncharacteristically chipped in, causing Ruby to pause in her cookie eating. The green haired girl is usually not one to offer her help, the younger teen more than often times had to plead, bribe, or continuously annoy the other girl for help. She decided that it wasn’t worth stopping to eat her cookie for though, so she quickly resumed. “But it really only works if you can get close to them and distract them long enough to steal from them. So I suppose Mercury has a point.”

“Of course I do.”

“And remember what Neo taught you,” Cinder added “If you run into trouble and must engage in a fight, the best thing to do is to drop or disable them from the fight.”

“Uh huh…” Ruby muttered distractingly, still eating her cookies.

“And as much as I don’t want to admit this, but Roman has a point when he taught you how to get away when it gets to be too much.” Mercury sighed, nearly having to force the words out of his mouth.

“Which you won’t have to,” Cinder smiled “Because I know you’ll execute whatever plan you have perfectly, without getting caught. Just remember to have fun alright my little monkey?”

Ruby swallowed the last of her cookies, and gave a bright grin while cookie crumbs littered around her mouth. “Don’t worry guys! I got this! Before you know it, I’ll be back home and treating myself with a bunch of cookies for a job well don!” she exclaimed as she dashed away to another room, leaving red rose petals at her tail.

Cinder sighed after the brunette left to get ready. This was the young teen’s first heist, how could the older sibling not worry?

… Especially when said teen still leaves cookie crumbs on her face after finishing a batch.

All of a sudden, a thud sounded throughout the house.

“I-I’m all right!!!” Ruby called out

The older sibling let out a long drawled out sigh as Mercury let out a chuckle and Emerald grumbled something that sounded a lot like “What a stupid head”.

Cinder promptly turned toward her two subordinates and pinned them with a harsh glare. “Seeing as you two will be helping her… You will ensure her safety and success. Got it?”

“If that’s the case, then I don’t think we should-“ Emerald started

“Don’t think.” Cinder interrupted. “Obey.”

The tanned teen grumbled, “Yes Ma’am”

“Good.” With that, she walked away to check up on her sibling

“Man… she loses all sense of fun when she isn’t with Ruby…” Mercury grumbled

 

* * *

 

Ruby jumped from roof to roof, making sure to stay hidden by the shadows as she got closer and closer to her targeted area while keeping one eye closed.

Soon enough, buildings turned into trees and light became scarcer, causing her to open her closed eye to allow her better sight for the darkness. After quite a while of swinging and jumping from tree to tree, she found her destination. A tunnel.

Perching herself on a branch near the entrance of the tunnel, she took out her phone and dialed her companions.

“Heya squirt, running into problems already?” Mercury asked upon picking up the phone.

Ruby rolled her eyes, “No.” She harshly whispered, “I just wanted to know if you guys have the trucks and were in position.”

“Of course we do! Who do you think you’re talking to?”

“A narcissist.” The short black haired girl deadpanned

“Squirt! I am hurt.” He exaggerated, eliciting a giggle from the younger teen.

“Hehehe, that rhymed” she giggled

“Never mind that, mind telling us exactly why we need such a big van?” Emerald demanded

“You’ll find out later.” Ruby sang

“Ugh… You’re Cinder’s sister alright…” Emerald grumbled, and although she couldn’t see it, but she was pretty sure her boss’s little sister was sticking her tongue out at the tanned girl. “You better not be-“

Ruby saw light coming from the tunnel in the corner of her eye and promptly hung up and pocketed her phone. She reached back to pull a black bowler hat out of her hood, put it on, tugged on her black and red gloves, tensed up her legs, and got ready to jump.

After a few seconds, a truck came out of the tunnel and she only had to give a quick glance to the vehicle’s side to confirm that it was the one she wanted.

A Schnee Dust Company truck

At the right moment, Ruby launched herself to the truck, effectively hooking her swords on the side of the vehicle and then pulling herself up. Once she grabbed footing, she quickly made her way to the front, and then peeked through the window from the passenger’s side. The sight made her roll her eyes, the driver had rolled down his window, presumably to have the cold night air blow in his face to keep him awake, but seemed to be failing seeing as he squinted and rubbed his eyes.

Righting herself up, Ruby scooted over to the driver’s side, and hooked one sword a little away from the door and dropped herself onto the side of the vehicle. She was then able to thrust her free sword through the open window and hook it around the driver’s neck, causing him to jump up in his seat from fright.

She cleared her throat and lowered her voice a little, “Good Evening!” She greeted with a smile, and before he could say anything, she pressed something on her sword, causing a yellow dust vial to click in place, and then pulled the trigger, eliciting lightning to cackle from her sword and effectively electrocuting him.

After several seconds had passed, Ruby had rendered the driver unconscious. She then unhooked her sword from his neck, pulled the door open, unbuckled him, pushed him over to the passenger seat, and then took his place as the truck driver.

“Well… That was easy.” The young teen giggled, pulling her hood up as she continued driving, taking the truck to where Mercury and Emerald would be waiting.

 

* * *

 

“Ugh!!! That insufferable little… STUPID HEAD!” Emerald yelled in frustration. “Just wait until I get my hands on her, that’ll show her to hang up on me. I swear. If she weren’t Cinder’s sister…”

“Now now,” Mercury chuckled “I’m sure there’s a reason for her sudden hang up. Like, oh I don’t know… someone coming in her direction?”

Emerald growled, “Whatever. She better have a good reason ”

"Right right," The boy nodded. "But still, I do have to agree that it is rather odd that she wanted us to bring two small trucks..." He eyed the two vehicles parked next to each other. The location she had them wait at was a little odd too, straight off of the main road and a little outside of town. If they weren’t careful, some grim could even come roaming towards them. "I can't think of anything that she could possibly steal that would require two mini trucks."

Emerald rolled her eyes, "Knowing her, she would probably try to steal a whole shipment of cookies or something..." causing the gray haired boy to chuckle

"I wouldn't put it past her," he said, amusement laced through his voice. "Hey, remember that cookie heist we had to help her with when we were like... 12?"

"Oh my God..." the red eyed girl groaned, "Don't remind me, that was the stupidest thing I've ever done."

"Uh-huh, whatever. I know you had fun" He chipped "And, I know for a fact that you were proud of her. Probably just as much as Cinder was."

"W-Wha- No I didn't!" She protested "And I wasn't proud! We stole cookies! That's not something to be proud of!"

"Really?" He asked, "Cuz, if I remember correctly, you were kept yelling and grumbling about how an 8 year old could do better than all those stupid goons we were forced to work with and how they should all 'take lessons from her' or how we should have brought her instead of them, because then at least we could have accomplish something."

"Wha-What?! I-I don't know what you're talking about." She huffed, crossing her arms and turning away from him to emphasize her point.

"Uh huh" he smirked "Admit it, you like the squirt"

"I don't" She growled, "She's obnoxious, dim-witted, and... and... Well... A stupid head."

Mercury rolled his eyes, but then saw a flash of light coming from the side and pulled Emerald down while moving behind the trucks. Upon seeing that it was a Schnee Dust company truck, he let out a low whistle. "Man, having that much dust would be nice. It would probably fix our current problem of being behind." He chuckled "But what's it doing out here?"

"Who cares? We should steal it!" Emerald commented.

"As much as I would like to, we still have to wait for..."

The truck pulled to a stop just a little ahead of where they were, and before they could question it, a familiar red hooded figure jumped out from the driver's side and eagerly waved at them.

"Little Red!" Mercury nearly shouted in surprise "What is this? And… why are you wearing Roman’s hat? Take that off, before you catch his stupidity."

Ruby eyed the boy with a concerned expression, "It's a Schnee truck... You know... Filled with Dust." She consented to his other demand, knocking the hat back off her head, allowing it to catch into the hood of her sleeveless coat

"You stole a truck?!" He asked

The hooded girl nodded

The two older teens gaped at her, looking back at fourth between the truck and Ruby.

The youngest teen rolled her eyes and trotted over to the back of the truck, picked the lock, and tossed it open, revealing the truck to be indeed filled with boxes and crates of dust.

"Oh my God... She stole a truck." The boy stated

"Uh... Guys... A little help here?" The hooded girl asked, gesturing to the crates around her.

The teens quickly snapped out of their stupor and quickly went to where she was as she hopped in the back. "Mercury, you fill your van up with the refined dust. Emerald, you get the Burn, Uncut crystals."

The two nodded, and with that, Ruby pried open two crates, and began handing Mercury and Emerald the respective boxes.

"How did you manage to steal a truck?" Emerald asked after they had managed to empty a few crates

Ruby smirked as she opened another crate, "I snagged a schedule of shipments from this nice man, and he ended up being in charge of shipping and packaging from a dust warehouse. So after a little snooping, I figured out some of the routes trucks take and with the process of elimination, I deemed this truck to be the safest one to steal."

"I'm impressed squirt." Mercury commented as he was handed another box. "But I'm curious, where did you get the idea to steal a whole truck?"

The brunette gave a sheepish laugh; "Actually, I kind of got the idea from Neo and Emerald."

"What? Me?" The green haired girl asked, shocked and confused.

The younger teen nodded, "Yeah... Remember that time when you joked that we should just start stealing ice cream since we were stealing cookies already? And Neo and I ended up actually thinking about it and we started drawing plans to steal an ice cream truck, but then you got frustrated for some reason and ended up helping us draw out the plan...?"

The older teens stopped what they were doing and stared at the brunette with looks of disbelief, and then slowly, they turned towards each other.

"Did she...?" Mercury started

"She did..." Emerald nodded.

They both turned their faces towards the hooded girl again, still with a look of shock and disbelief.

"She pulled Operation Ice Cream on a Dust Truck..."

“Alright guys! Chop chop! Time’s running out!” Ruby stated

“What’s the hurry? The night is long.” Mercury commented

“Well, according to the time table, this truck is estimated to arrive at the warehouse soon. So unless we want a search party coming out…”

The boy sighed, “Then chop chop. I got it… You know, I think you’re having too much fun bossing us around.”

Ruby giggled, “Am I that obvious?”

Emerald rolled her eyes and made a face at the younger teen who then returned the gesture in kind.

After that, they continued working in silence. Making sure to fill their smaller trucks with the specified dust. This continued on for about 20 minutes until finally, they were finished.

“Remind me why we couldn’t just take the truck?” Emerald groaned

“Because then it would be too obvious that this was planned out and having it would make it easier to track us down!” Ruby hissed. “Now you two go back home, I need to take care of some stuff.”

The two quirked an eyebrow, “What stuff?”

The younger teen gave a mischievous smirk as she pulled the hat out of her hood again and gave it a little wave.

Mercury and Emeralds eyes widened as they registered what she was going to do, both laughing to show their approval.

“Alright little red, we’ll drop this off at the warehouse. See you back home.” Mercury grinned.

Ruby waved the two teens off as they drove away. She then turned around and gave a small huff as she twirled a sword in one hand and plopped Roman’s hat back on. She hopped back up into the truck, pried open some more crates, and scattered a bit of the dust around inside the truck (making sure to pocket a few of the yellow and green ones). Hopping back out, she trotted over to the front and peeked through the window to make sure that the driver was still unconscious, he was. She opened the door, and dragged the driver back over to his original seat, making sure to buckle him back up, turned the truck on, and had him slump over the wheel. She quickly hopped out, slammed the door shut, and began walking the other way, making sure to drop Roman’s hat off near the truck.

After gaining a big of distance, she jumped back into the trees and made her way back to her home.

* * *

 

Cinder was attempting to patiently wait for the return of her sister, but her nerves refused to allow her to stay still. So she opted to pace, which was just… Distasteful. Stopping, she turned her head towards the clock, and scowled at it as though it were the device’s fault for causing her sister to be late.

She felt it mocking her the moment the long hand ticked by.

So she set it on fire.

Right when she did that, the door opened and she quickly turned to welcome her sister.

“Hey Cin- Woah!” Emerald scurried over to the nearest fire extinguisher to spray on the wall.

Mercury walked in after, noticing the vicious, eye glowing glare that Cinder was sending their way. “That’s no pleasant way to greet someone…” He grumbled

“Where’s Ruby?” She demanded

“She wanted to stay behind and put some last minute touches on her plan. Which, by the way, you won’t believe what she managed to pull off.” Mercury grinned

“Yeah, it was.” Emerald commented, “Don’t tell her I said this, but I was pretty impressed.”

Cinder arched an eyebrow, if Emerald was impressed then the feat her sister pulled off must have been. “Tell me more.”

* * *

 

As she got closer to the city, Ruby felt multiple presences all around her and couldn’t help but let out a groan. Dealing with a bunch of grim wasn’t exactly on her list of things to do now, even if it was a little odd how close they were to the city. So, she hastened her speed, leaving a trail of rose petals behind, only to find a small pack of beowolves coming from in front of her. She tried to dash left, but they were coming from that direction as well. She turned around just in time to more pulling up.

She was surrounded by packs of 4 in each direction.

One of them, she assumed was the alpha, let out a vicious snarl.

Ruby slowly brought her hands towards her weapons and unfolded them. Still keeping an eye on the grim, she flicked a switch on each of her swords, allowing green clips to click in place, and then dropped close to the ground and made a sweeping motion, creating a small gust to cause the dust in her immediate area to temporarily blind the beowolves. She used that chance to hook onto the handle of her right sword, ensuring that it hooked at the same area of her trigger, and dashed forward to swing her extended, whip-like sword at the grim from the side, but she didn’t hit them with the swords as expected.

The beowolves were suddenly falling or flying back due a sudden harsh blast of wind. Of course, the wind also pushed Ruby in the opposite direction, but she expected this and used the momentum to help give her a start to dash over to some of the grim coming up from behind her. Due to how quick she was, she slid past them and unhooked her swords, allowing both her weapons to be wielded in each hand once more. Using their confusion, she quickly made a jump spin through soulless creatures, causing a mini tornado and sending them flying in all directions.

Once more, she was sailing through the air, flipping her swords so they would point down; she stabbed them into the ground to halt her momentum just when the rest of the beowolves came up to her.

The moment one wolf was just in reach though, she propelled herself forward, keeping a hold on her swords, and gave a good double kick at it, the force causing her swords being unsheathed from the earth. Upon landing, she turned to give a nice spinning hook kick to one wolf, then hopped to her other foot and gave another one a round house kick. The remaining creatures then attempted to surround her.

Glancing around, Ruby made a quick decision. Swinging her swords toward the earth, she shot a blast of air to send her flying above them. She then flicked a switch on one sword, switching the green clip with a yellow one, and then clapped her swords together, immediately causing her hooks to shift to the side and extending a little. The result of her doing so, made it look like a crossbow. She pulled the trigger on the sword with the yellow clip, causing the space in between the main body of the swords form lightning, due to it being charge back and forth so quickly, it began to take form. Pointing her crossbow down, she took aim at the closely gathered grim, and pulled the other trigger, causing a loud clap of thunder to sound as she released the lightning to the ground and effectively killing the grim.

As she safely landed, she unclipped her weapons, and sheathed them once more. She took a glance at her handiwork and gave herself a pat on the back. Then… She partook in something she does very frequently…

“You did a good job Ruby” She began

She then dashed over to stand in front of where she was, “Oh why thank you Rubes!”

“You know what you should do when get home?”

“I don’t know! What should I do?”

“You… my friend, should treat yourself to a cookie!”

A gasp, “You really think so?”

“Actually no.”

A pout

“I think you should treat yourself to a whole strawberry cake!!!”

“OH MY GOSH! YES!”

“Hm. Rewarding oneself with a treat after finishing a task. Thereby turning an otherwise frightening event into something positive should it ever occur again… Yes Yes! I like it!” A new voice said

“EEP!!!” Ruby jumped as she turned to face the intruder while drawing out her swords. She found herself staring at a man with green hair and large round glasses simply standing and taking a sip out of his thermos. She quirked an eyebrow up and lightly lowered her swords, “U-Um… Hello…” She greeted

He took a sip of his thermos. “Good evening”

They stayed silent, staring at each other.

“So… I’m… Just gonna go…” She awkwardly stated.

The man took another sip.

“Okay…” She said, slowly stepping away.

“Miss Ruby, was it?” The man suddenly asked

A pause, “Yup, that’s me.” She politely smiled

“Hmm… I’m Doctor Oobleck.” He introduced himself while taking another sip from his thermos. “Miss Rose, Did you know that these beowolves have been roaming near Vale for the past few days? The business workers close to here were growing so uncomfortable and restless; they made a request at Beacon Academy for a huntsman or huntress to eliminate the threat. I was the huntsman that they sent.” He rapidly stated

“O-oh… I… didn’t know… Sorry?” Ruby asked, unsure of the point he was trying to make

“No no, it’s quite alright. Although, I must say, because you have relinquished me of my mission, I have no other choice but to bring you back to Beacon with me when I relay my report concerning the mission.”

“Oh… uh…Okay…” the teen said with a small smile

“Excellent! Most excellent! We’ll leave now!” He stated, turning around and about to march away.

“But…” Ruby called out, causing him to pause “Can I just call my sister real quick to let her know I won’t be coming home?” she asked while pointing to her phone

“Of course! But of course! Yes! Please do so!” He rapidly stated

She then proceeded to call her sister as she followed after the green haired man.

“Ruby? Where are you? Is everything all right? Are you okay? You’re not hurt are you?” Cinder asked

Ruby rolled her eyes affectionately, “I’m fine sis. Really. I’m just calling to tell you that I might end up coming home a bit later tonight.”

“… Why?”

“I ran into this huntsman and I may or may not have accidentally done his job for him… So now, he’s taking me to Beacon to give a report or something like that…” Ruby informed her sister

“Hmmm…” Cinder hummed as she processed this information. “Although unexpected, it is a rather pleasant surprise. One that will help you enroll into Beacon later. Alright, I will accept your tardiness for tonight.”

Ruby grinned. “I try my best.” She saw an air ship landing a little ahead of her and the Doctor. “I have to go, don’t stay up too late waiting for me.”

“I won’t” Cinder lied.

“Liar.” Ruby chided

The older sister chuckled. “I love you”

“I love you too sis.” The younger sibling responded, and then hung up as she climbed into the airship.

* * *

 

Cinder stared down at her phone after she had ended her call with Ruby. She got up and picked up the plate of strawberry cake on the table to put it away.

All of the lights were out and her two subordinates were sleeping already as it was past midnight.

She sat down at the chair facing toward the door and stared at it, as though willing her sister to come through it.

“Come back soon…”


	3. Mocked

“Right then! Here we are! In you go!” Doctor Oobleck quickly demanded as he ushered Ruby into a room

Ruby stumbled into a room with a table and 2 chairs across from each other. She looked back at the doctor questioningly.

“We’ll wait for my superior here.”

“Okay…” the teen said as she took a seat facing the door.

Silence engulfed the room, save for the occasional sound of the doctor sipping from his thermos and the small sounds caused by Ruby fidgeting.

“So…” She began, “I have these Dust Action Crossbow Hook Swords…”

Doctor Oobleck gave her a blank stare

After 15 minutes, another man came walking into the room, only to find his colleague and the girl he was going to question, talking so rapidly that he was only able to pick up the words “History” and “Dust”. As amusing as the sight was (since there were only so many people who could match Oobleck’s enthusiasm and speed), he did want to talk to the little girl.

“Ahem.”

“Ah yes, here he is! Ruby, we will continue this conversation at a later date.” The green haired man commented, eliciting an eager nod from the girl.

Once he had her attention, the new man, (which Ruby noted was Professor Ozpin) stepped further into the room. And although Ruby knew that she should give him her utmost attention, he was holding a plate of cookies in one hand and it was REALLY distracting.

“Ruby... Fall was it?” the man asked, glancing briefly down at his screen holding bits of the information Oobleck had provided him. The Doctor must have obtained her full name on the way back to the school. “You…” Ozpin leaned in to examine the girl’s face closer. “Have silver eyes…” He finished with a raised brow.

“Uh…. Yeah…” The red hooded girl drawled out. Although a little odd, her features were still rather obvious. “And you have… brown eyes.”

“Hmm, so I do.” He continued, standing up straight once more “So! Where did you learn to do this?” He gestured to the clip being held and shown on Doctor Oobleck’s pad.

Ruby glanced over to see a clip of her beating up, throwing, or shooting the grim she fought earlier that evening “Well, I grew up outside the kingdoms. So I kind of had to learn how to fight.”

Both Professor Ozpin and Doctor Oobleck looked a little shocked, and maybe sympathetic. “You had to learn how to fight all by yourself?”

“Well, no. Not completely. I had some help from the older kids I grew up with.” Ruby sheepishly confessed. Which was true, everyone influenced her choice of weapon. Cinder had taught her how to wield dual weapons and effectively use dust while Roman had shown her (or rather, showed off) how handy his cane was when it came to fights (although she loathed to admit how correct he was about that.) Neo had also helped show her the benefits of a hook-like weapon and had helped her along with Mercury, to involve her legs when fighting. Emerald was the only one who could move quickly and had weapons that used the most dexterity, therefore making her the second one to help the most often… Cinder was obviously the one who taught her the most.

… But in the end, she had learned from all of them and had no choice but to mix them all together. Even if those particular times of learning were a little frustrating because it seemed as though everyone wanted to show her the benefits of their fighting styles.

“I see.” The gray haired man quipped, setting down the plate of cookies in front of her.

Ruby hesitantly reached out for a cookie, warily eyeing Professor Ozpin. She didn’t know if it was a trap or not, but she REALLY wanted those cookies. Besides, a man like Professor Ozpin didn’t seem like the type to trick kids right? After she ate one cookie, she glanced up at him once more to confirm that it was safe, and then she began to shovel all the treats down her throat.

“And these older kids, who are they?”

Ruby gulped down her cookies, “Well…” she hesitated, knowing she would have to be careful with what she said next. “We’re all orphans, so…” At that information, the gray haired man quirked his eyebrows up a bit in surprise but said nothing, while the green haired man muttered something that sounded like “Dreadful. Just simply dreadful.”

“So I ended up meeting them over the years… We all had to move around outside of the kingdoms pretty often. Which, you know, we have to find a way to live, but, as cliché as this sounds, because we were all together, we could make it together! And we did! After coming from Mistral, we’ve found a place in Vale and a way to settle down. But you know, old habits die hard.” She gave a nervous chuckle.

Professor Ozpin gave her a quizzical look, “Old habits? You mean… stealing?”

Ruby nodded

“And you were okay with that?”

The girl shrugged, “Why wouldn’t I be? We had to live somehow.” Despite how terrible it may have been phrased, Ruby had actually grown in a life of comfort. Food, clothing, a bed, warm water, and a roof over her head had always provided. And due to growing up with Cinder, she had learnt that if she wanted or needed something, she had to take it for herself. (Or bother Emerald, Mercury, Neo, or Roman…)

“So it seems.” Professor Ozpin stated as he took a sip. “So, because you grew up outside the kingdom, you had no other choice but to learn how to fight and steal in order to survive. Correct?”

“Well… Sort of.” Ruby sheepishly confessed.

Professor Ozpin gave her a look that indicated for her to elaborate.

“Well… it’s only part of the reason. You see, a lot of people who live outside the kingdoms or on the streets tend to… get into a lot of trouble. Especially if they’re faunus right?” Doctor Oobleck was nodding along from behind Ozpin. “And often times, a lot of them want to move around from kingdom to kingdom, but most of the time they can’t protect themselves, so that’s why I learned how to fight.”

Professor Ozpin gave her a confused look, “You learned to fight so you could protect those who can not protect themselves?”

“Yeah. I don’t see anyone else helping them. Humans that are homeless get ignored and are often pushed to the side. Faunus get mistreated all the time, protests that were once peaceful are now violent. And the ones who are supposed to protect them, are the ones hurting them. It’s not the police’s fault; I understand that. It’s society’s fault for not enforcing the protection to allow the police to help them. So, if no one helps them, why can’t I?” Ruby shrugged.

The man seemed to continuously be baffled by the young girl before him. “You want to help people?” he clarified

Ruby nodded.

“Why?”

The teen gave a confused look. “What do you mean?”

“Why do you want to help people?”

Ruby gave a wary look, “Do I need a reason for wanting to help people?”

Doctor Oobleck and Professor Ozpin both seemed very pleased.

The man quirked an amused eyebrow “Do you know who I am?”

Of course she knew, “You’re professor Ozpin. The headmaster of Beacon.”

“Hello.” He chuckled

“Nice to meet you.” Ruby grinned

“How do you feel about training to become a huntress?”

Ruby gave a grin, “I think it’s great! I plan on enrolling into Beacon in two years to train.”

Ozpin gave a pleased grin, “You want to come to my school?”

Ruby nodded.

Ozpin glanced over to Doctor Oobleck who gave a small smile. Facing back towards the little girl, he drawled out “Well okay.”

Ruby couldn’t help but look completely and utterly confused.

* * *

“I’m impressed squirt, you managed to enter Beacon a whole two years early.” Mercury praised. “Everyone is going to think that you’re the coolest kid in town.”

“I don’t want to be the coolest kid in town though!” Ruby whined, “I just want to be a normal kid from a normal town.”

“What’s with you? You should be happy!” Emerald added “You’ll be able to help us with any mission concerning Beacon.”

“Of course I’m happy!” The younger girl exclaimed. “It’s just… I got moved ahead two years. Everyone is going to think I’m special and stuff…”

Mercury and Emerald gave quizzical glances, until realization dawned upon them as the boy gave a chuckle and threw an arm over Ruby while Emerald rolled her eyes.

“What you mean is, you don’t want the extra attention because then, you won’t be able to cause as much trouble.” Mercury pointed out

Ruby huffed, “Exactly!”

“Now now,” Cinder said “I’m sure you’ll find a way to cause trouble some way or another.”

The younger sister attempted to give a smug look, but failed, as it seemed as though she were only able to give a silly looking grin causing everyone else to snicker at her.

“We’re gonna miss you squirt.” Mercury said as he ruffled Ruby’s hair.

“I’m not!” Emerald piped up “With you gone, it’s going to finally be nice and relaxing. No more of your stupid pranks.”

Ruby grinned “Aw, I’m going to miss you too Emmy.” She said as she dashed over and gave a tight hug to the tan girl

“UGH. Don’t call me that! AND GET OFF ME!” Emerald groaned as she tried to squeeze her way out of the younger girl’s arms.

Ruby stuck her tongue out at the other girl as she let go, only to dash over to Cinder and give her a hug as well.

The older sister gave out a small sigh as she returned the tight embrace to her dearest sister, “Call often and come visit us when you can.”

Ruby nodded

“Gather as much information as you can, but don’t push yourself too hard.”

The younger sister rolled her eyes and pulled back to look at her older sister. “I could say the same to you.”

Cinder only gave an affectionate look and closed the hug once more. “I’ll miss you.”

* * *

 

“Oh my gosh… She has a fire sword! He has a collapsible staff!” a loud gasp, “And he has pistol daggers! OH MY GOSH, SHE HAS SHOTGUN GAUNTLENTS!!!” Ruby had been excitedly looking at all the weapons ever since the airship had landed at Beacon. In fact, she had pretty much followed after the owner of those weapons until she got distracted by another weapon, and was just about to follow the last person… And then she bumped into someone. “Oh, uh… Sorry.”

The girl she had bumped into gave her a vicious glare, “What’s wrong with you?! Watch where you’re going next time!”

“Uh…” Ruby was a little shocked at the other’s sudden outburst

“Can’t you see that I’m carrying some important belongings of mine?!” The other continued, gesturing to a mountain of white luggage and briefcases that were being pushed on trollies by 2 men. “You could have damaged some of the dust that is being held!” She yelled, grabbing a case and waving it around to emphasize her point.

“Look, I already said I was sorry. And you-“ Ruby paused. Wait a second…“And you’re Weiss Schnee!” She exclaimed, recognizing the other person from her occasional appearances on the news with her father, the CEO of the Schnee Dust company, whenever a major supply of dust was stolen.

“Hmph. So you recognize me.” Weiss stated looking a bit smug

“Of course I do!” Ruby grinned reaching out to enthusiastically shake her hand. “I’m Ruby Fall. Look, I’m really sorry for bumping into you. Here, let me get that for you and clean you up.” The brunette insisted as she reached out, took the briefcase from the heiress’s hand, set it aside, and quickly brushed some imaginary dirt off of the heiress. “I wasn’t watching where I was going, it was my fault.”

“Hm. Yes. It was.” Weiss confirmed, nodding.

“Although, to be fair,” Ruby continued “You weren’t either, so it sort of is your fault too…”

“Excuse you?!”

“And… What kind of heiress only carries around just an ID, and a Lien card? Have you never heard of using chips?” Ruby asked as she peeked through a white wallet.

“What?! When did you-?” the white haired girl asked as she checked her pocket

Ruby grinned as she waved the girl’s wallet a little.

“Give that back you delinquent!” Weiss demanded, holding her hand out.

“Ah ah ah!” Ruby shook the white wallet. “First, an apology please. Second, I have a name.”

Weiss clenched her fists at her sides; she was in no position to bargain and had been dealt the shorter end of the stick. She had no choice but to comply. So, through gritted teeth and a choking the words up, she glared at the other girl “I also apologize for bumping into you. Now give me back my wallet you insufferable dol-“

Ruby waved her wallet again.

Weiss grunted and growled out the last part. “Give me back my wallet... Ruby”

Ruby looked up in thought, even going as far as tapping her chin with the wallet, “Well, I didn’t appreciate all that malice you sent my way, but I suppose you can have your wallet back.” She grinned and held out the white wallet.

Quickly, Weiss snatched it up and sent another glare towards red hooded girl. “Don’t ever speak to or steal from me ever again.” She ordered, and then marched away, the two men following behind her while pushing the trolleys.

Once she made sure that the other girl’s back was turned and a good distance away, Ruby began snickering as she picked up the briefcase Weiss left behind, and then spat her tongue out at the girl.

Ruby had no qualms against never speaking to the heiress again…

* * *

 

Karma was definitely a thing. Ruby was sure of it. And if it were a thing, it was currently laughing at her. In her face. Most likely shouting out loud that she deserved this. It probably had to do with the fact that she stole the Dust truck. What else would be the cause of this predicament? Why else would she end up making eye contact with the rude heiress, thereby making them partners?

“You again!” Weiss growled

Ruby let out a nervous chuckle.

“No, absolutely not! I refuse to partner up with some no good, low degenerate, street rat!” Weiss declared.

“You are too kind.” Ruby deadpanned

“AND GIVE ME BACK MY DUST!” the heiress demanded

“What?” The brunette tried to ask nonchalantly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“My Dust! The ones in my luggage! I know you stole it! So give it back you dolt!” The white haired girl continued.

“I didn’t steal anything.” Ruby continued

“Don’t lie to me! I counted the amount of dust I had when I packed and unpacked, and I know that I was one case short. And I know for a fact that I put one down when speaking to you. Therefore, you must have stolen it!” the other concluded

“In my defense, you forgot about it. So… Finders keepers.” Ruby stated

“UGH!!! YOU INSUFFERABLE LITTLE…” Weiss growled and kept making noises of frustration as she tried to think of a suitable insult. “DOLT!!!” she finished

Ruby, having grown up with similar insults, knew of the perfect comeback. “I’m not a dolt! You are!”

“You can’t say that! I used it first!”

“Well then, you… you’re… YOU’RE A STUPID HEAD!”

A gasp, “How dare you!?”

“Oh I dare.” Ruby stated

“You are so obnoxious!”

“Says the one who calls me a dolt.”

“And childish!”

“On that, we can agree!”

“And dimwitted!”

“I am not, I stole your briefcase! Dimwits can’t do that!”

“AHA! So you admit it! Now give it back!”

“No! No I didn’t! I would never-“ a pause “NEVERMORE!!!”

“Good! Don’t steal from me again!”

“No not that! Nevermore!”

“I understood the first time! You’re not stealing again! Good for you! I just want my dust-“

Frustrated, Ruby grabbed Weiss and pulled her into a run.

“Hey!” Weiss shouted as she was tugged along. “What are you-“ A shadow loomed over them and she looked up, only to see a nevermore closing in on them. “Nevermore!”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell y-OUUUUUU” Ruby tried to shout, but of course… the flying grim had managed to snatch the two up.

“This is all your fault!” Weiss shouted as they clung for dear life onto the claws of the Nevermore

“MY fault? How is this MY fault?!” Ruby shouted back

“It’s your fault for distracting me! If it weren’t for you, I would have noticed the Nevermore!”

“Hey! You were arguing with me too Princess! This is your fault as much as mine!”

“My fault?! Nothing is my fault! If you hadn’t stolen my Dust, this would have never happened!”

“If you had just forgiven me for bumping into you, I wouldn’t have stolen your dust!”

“You shouldn’t have bumped into me then!”

“It was an accident!”

“I have a hard time believing you!”

“Look, I’ve already said sorry. Why can’t you just admit you’re sorry?!”

“Because I have no reason to be sorry!”

“Look Princess, you’re not perfect! So stop acting like it!”

“I know I’m not perfect! But I’m still better than you!”

“You don’t even know me!!!”

“I know that you’re the one who got us caught in the first place!”

Ruby finally let out a groan of frustration. Never in her life had she had to deal with someone as insufferable as the heiress. “Look! Why don’t we just jump then?!”

“What are you, insane?!”

The brunette went ahead and let go, eager to get away from Weiss for at least a while. She unsheathed her weapons, and created a small gust of wind to help soften her landing. Once her feet touched the earth, she realized she landed near the temple.

“Did she just fall from the sky?” someone asked

Ruby turned and made eye contact with two other girls, one with black hair and the other with blonde, which she vaguely recognized as the girl with shotgun gauntlets. She was just about to introduce herself when a series of crazy events suddenly occurred.

First, a boy was flying across the sky and landed in a tree close to them. Second, a girl came in riding in on an Ursa. Then, another girl came in with a Deathstalker on her tail. And finally, Weiss came falling in, the boy attempting to catch her, but ended up merely cushioning her fall.

“Great! We’re all here, now we can die together!” the blonde girl proclaimed

“You guys go on ahead, I’ll take it from here!” Ruby stated with confidence.

“No, wait-“ The blonde yelled, but it was all in vain. Ruby already started running towards the deathstalker.

Upon attempting to slash at it though, Ruby realized that maybe she may have been a bit too brash. The hide of the death stalker was much harder than she initially thought as it even protected itself from her lightning charged hook sword.

“Get out of there Red!” the blonde cried out

“It’s Ruby!” the brunette automatically corrected, that nickname was reserved for family only… Even if Roman and Mercury were the only ones to call her that. Despite that, she immediately produced a gust of wind to give her a head start and started running back towards the group. But, of course, the Nevermore chose that time to throw some feathers down towards the running girl, effectively nailing her from the tail of her sleeveless coat.

She kept trying to free it by tugging, but her coat wouldn’t budge.

“Look out!”

She wasn’t sure who said it, but Ruby looked up to see the tail of the Deathstalker aimed towards her. She squeezed her eyes shut and braced for impact.

Impact that never came

“You ARE childish!” a familiar voice commented

Ruby peeked her eyes open to see a large ice shield trap the Deathstalker’s tail, no doubt produced by her protector. “Weiss?”

“And insufferable, and hyperactive. And don’t get me started on your… deplorable acts that you’ve committed.” Weiss began “And I suppose I can be a bit…”

Ruby raised a questioning eyebrow.

Weiss rolled her eyes, “Difficult…” she settled on. “But if we’re going to do this, we’re going to have to do this together. So if YOU promise to give back my dust and to never steal anything important from me again, I’ll be… Nicer.”

Ruby glanced up to the sky in thought. “You got yourself a deal.” She grinned

Weiss could only roll her eyes, but a small smile formed on her face with the act.

The two made it back to the group and quick introductions were made.

“I hate to break this up, but guys… That thing is circling back!” The boy who was sent flying proclaimed, pointing towards the large flying grim. If Ruby remembered correctly from some of the initial introductions before they were all catapulted into the forest, that boy was Jaune.

“Our objective is right in front of us, there is no reason to engage in battle.” Weiss stated.

“She’s right.” Ruby agreed, “We only need to grab the relics and head on over to the cliffs. So let’s grab them and run!” she cheered

“Run and live, I like that.” Jaune agreed with a smile.

Ruby went ahead and grabbed the knight while Jaune grabbed the rook. After, the group made their way towards the cliff, Ruby staying a little behind to make sure everyone else was in front of her.

“What is it Yang?” The girl with a bow in her hair asked quietly to her new partner.

Yang stared at Ruby standing on top of the hill, waiting for everyone else to get ahead before shaking her head and gave a small smile, “Nothing Blake. C’mon, let’s go.” She said as she ran ahead.

Blake glanced at the red hooded girl as well, something about that girl was familiar to her, she shook her head, and followed the group soon after.

Of course though, the Deathstalker soon chased after them as the Nevermore went ahead and guarded the cliffs they were supposed to be heading towards.

“Nora! Distract it!” The other boy yelled

Nora quickly obliged, "You got it Ren!" She stated while pulling off her grenade launcher from her back and shooting at the Nevermore. Focusing on the flying grim, she had forgotten about the Deathstalker behind her. Thankfully Blake and Ren managed to stop it before it could attack Nora, Weiss used that time to grab the power hungry girl and pull her to safety.

They all began running across the bridge towards the abandoned temple, Pyrrha helped buy the late group some time by shooting at the Deathstalker in hopes of slowing it down.

The large group continued running across, only for the Nevermore to break the group up by destroying the bridge.

Jaune surveyed the situation and found Pyrrha, Ren, and Blake struggling to fight the Deathstalker. “Man, we’ve got to get over there.”

“Let’s do this!” Nora proclaimed with a grin.

“Yeah, but I can’t make that jump.” Jaune stated

Nora set him a huge maniacal grin and hit him square in the chest with her grenade launcher, sending him back. Quickly, she turned around and allowed her weapon to shift into a hammer. She then smashed the end of the bridge with her hammer, using it as some sort of seesaw to send Jaune flying across to the other side, Nora using her hammer to fly after him. Using momentum, she hit the Deathstalker square on it’s head, which only managed to irritate it. She jumped back to get out of harm’s way, only to bump right into Blake and send the black haired girl over the end of the bridge.

With her quick thinking and reflexes, Blake swung from another bridge using her weapon and onto the nevermore. She attempted to weaken it with a series of slashes to no avail though. She jumped off its’ tail and landed on the broken ruins of the temple with the other girls.

“It’s tougher than it looks.” She stated

“Then let’s hit it with everything we got!” Yang proclaimed

The girls prepared their weapons and began sending bullets, ice shards, and sharp gusts of wind in the Nevermore’s direction. None of their attacks seemed to be working though as it kept flying towards them, even destroying the pillars that supported them.

The girls ran up the falling rocks to get to safety or used their own means to do so.

“None of this is working…” Weiss scoffed once she landed on another bridge

Ruby sighed and glanced around, that’s when she noticed the ribbon on Blake’s weapon. She glanced over to the Nevermore where Yang was attempting to brawl with it, which wasn’t exactly working out too well, but was effectively distracting it and got an idea. She couldn’t help but give a grin, “I have a plan.” Ruby stated she pitched the idea to Weiss who couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed at the girl.

“You’re insane!” Weiss declared

“I’m a genius!” Ruby quickly corrected, “Cover me!” she yelled as she launched herself over to Blake to tell her the plan.

Weiss quickly jumped on over to where Yang was to help her with the Nevermore and tell her of the plan. She couldn’t help but noticed that the blonde had a grin covering her face, showing her full support to this insane idea.

They continued, and when it seemed like the Nevermore was charging towards them from the side, they took their positions.

The two quickly launched themselves into the air so the Nevermore was directly below them. Yang gave herself a boost towards the flying grim and pounded it into the surface of the tower. She then launched herself to where Ruby and Blake were waiting, and grabbed onto the end of Blake’s weapon. Weiss quickly followed, using her ice to quickly pin the Nevermore’s tail down and then made her way to where the rest of the girls were.

Ruby then slung herself to the makeshift slingshot as Weiss summoned a black glyph to hold her in place and took aim.

“Of course you would come up with this idea.” Weiss commented

Ruby merely sent a cheeky grin as she crossed her swords in front of her, “I’m counting on you Princess.”

“Hmph.” Weiss huffed as she suddenly aimed Ruby towards the sky

Ruby gave a small nod as she tightened her grip, the moment she swung her swords towards her feet, Weiss shot her into the air.

The red hooded girl left rose petals in her wake as she flew towards the sky, leaving a trail for the Nevermore to follow as it broke free from it’s ice prison. The moment Ruby lost her momentum though; she turned and launched herself towards the grim that was set on eating her, she gave it a smirk as she immediately changed the dust clip of one of her swords and set herself into a rapid spin. Thus, causing wind, lightning, and rose petals to envelope her as she approached the grim.

The Nevermore didn’t seem to sense the incoming danger, as it opened its’ beak wider to swallow it’s meal. Thus allowing Ruby to go right through its’ mouth, and out from the back of its’ neck, causing decapitation. She stopped her spiraling upon exiting out of the grim and brought herself over to the cliff. Upon turning around, her smirk was still in place, as she looked over to the falling and disappearing grim.

Everyone else looked up at Ruby in awe as rose petals fell down from the sky.

The youngest teen noticed them all staring at her and sent them all a grin, throwing a peace sign in for good measure.

* * *

 

“Ruby?” Cinder’s voice answered on the scroll

“Cinder!” Ruby grinned as she made herself comfortable on one of the stonewalls near the front of the school. No one was out at this time of night with the moon high in the sky, allowing her to talk freely, albeit quietly, without anyone showing suspicion towards her. “Miss me?”

“Of course.” Came the endearing reply. “It’s too quiet here without you.”

Ruby simply gave a toothy grin, “I bet.”

“Now tell me, how did your initiation go?”

“Well, first of all, you won’t believe who I got partnered with.” Ruby smirked “Weiss Schnee.”

“Hmmm…” Cinder made a pleased sound “What a pleasant surprise.”

“I know right?” The younger sister asked, “I also got these other two girls on my team, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long.”

The older sister froze upon hearing the last name, but of course being on the phone, Ruby hadn’t noticed.

“Although, I swear Blake looks familiar, probably just my imagination. She seems pretty cool though, plus she likes books! Yang seems really friendly too. So I don’t think I’ll have too much trouble…” Ruby paused as she thought of the proper wording. “Getting along with them. Weiss might be a bit more difficult though; she’s a big jerk face. Like, a bigger jerk face than Emerald. So I don’t know how well that’s going to work out.” Ruby paused again as she thought of her new partner. “But… She seems like she’s capable of being nice… Anyway, they all seem to be well versed in fighting, but I really only got to see them fight when we were all trying to avoid being a Nevermore’s lunch. Oh, and you’ll be proud to learn that I’m the leader of team RWBY” Ruby stated with a smug smile, only to receive no response. “Cinder?” She asked, bringing her phone in front of her to see if she still had connection. “Cinder? Are you there?”

“… You were in danger?” Cinder asked

Oops… Shouldn’t have mentioned that Ruby gave a nervous laugh, “Yeah. But I’m fine now! Not even a scratch! Nope! And I certainly did not almost die from a Deathstalker. No sir. No way.”

“Ruby…” The older sibling sighed

“I’m sorry, I’ll try to be more careful.” The younger sister pouted

“Please do.” Cinder stated. “I will not have my dearest sister hurt.”

Ruby rolled her eyes “Of course.”

“But I am pleased to find you leading. Good job dearest sister.”

Ruby quirked an eyebrow up at the repeated family title, but shrugged as she chalked it up to Cinder simply being worried about nearly losing her via grim. “Sooo… Did my plan against Emerald work?”

“You mean your little prank?” Cinder asked, amusement and pride laced in her voice. “Yes… It did.”

Ruby giggled as the two siblings continued talking.

* * *

 

Upon hanging up, Cinder couldn’t help but stare at the wall in front of her in disbelief.

Yang Xiao Long was in the same team as her sister, Cinder’s sister.

This could not be happening

What were the chances?

It was as though fate were mocking her, telling her that Ruby was not meant to be hers.

The dark haired girl couldn’t help but let out a growl of frustration as she stood up and ran a hand through her hair. Fear and worry gnawed their way into her mind, making her think that Ruby would realize who this Yang Xiao Long really was after a few days, and then run to her, leaving Cinder alone.

Cinder gritted her teeth and clenched her hands as her eyes glowed with anger at the mere idea of Yang Xiao Long taking Ruby away.

She calmed down instantly though once she allowed reasoning to take over. Ruby has been with her for just over 10 years, her appearance has changed quite a bit, Yang Xiao Long would not recognize her so quickly…

Ruby would not leave so quickly…

Cinder hoped that Ruby would not leave her at all…


	4. Caution

"Last Tuesday night, notorious criminal Roman Torchwick managed to steal a Schnee Dust Company truck while on route for delivery. Not only did he steal a truck, he also dealt severe injury to the driver while the vehicle was still moving before hijacking it, leading the truck completely off road and into a forest filled with Grimm and leaving the driver to their mercy. Thankfully, a Schnee Dust Company employee noticed the truck's untimeliness, and quickly dispatched a search party for their missing truck and driver. With their quick thinking, the driver was able to be found and rescue before meeting their doom.

Police investigators comment that this is very unusual behavior for Roman Torchwick, as he is more inclined to steal from small shops as opposed to stealing from the Schnee group, unlike the White Fang who also managed to raid a train filled with Dust just-"

A scowling Weiss immediately shut down the hologram before the reporter could continue.

"Hey! I was watching that." Ruby protested

"And now you're not." Weiss retorted

The team leader pouted for a moment before a crooked smirk stretched across her face. "Someone's feeling a little touchy." She taunted, "Papa Schnee getting tired of having his products stolen from him?"

The heiress turned to her leader with a glare and scowl set on her face. "That's none of your business!" She growled before crossing her arms in defense, "Besides, I wouldn't know. I didn't see him when he came home as I was too busy packing."

"Translation – you were avoiding him."

Weiss turned toward her leader, a set scowl and eyes narrowed as she marched up to the brunette and set an accusing finger in her face, "Listen you-"

"That's enough you two." Blake intervened with a sigh, pushing her closed book in between the two in order to cause them to break eye contact. "Settle down before you two start something… again." She said, making sure to emphasis the last word

Weiss huffed, and turned away, making sure to throw another glare at her leader when the heiress knew it would be seen.

Upon noticing the glare, Ruby merely raised her hand up and wiggled her fingers while fluttering her eyelashes mockingly, as though saying "Hi, I don't know why you're so angry, because I'm just the most innocent and precious thing around."

Their black haired teammate let out another sigh.

Those two have been like that for the past few weeks, and Blake wasn't entirely sure what their problem with each other was, especially since it seemed as though they were getting along well at first. Initially, it seemed as though team RWBY would have a rather peaceful dorm life and cooperation seeing as they all seemed content to do their own separate activities in their own time; Yang was strangely always on her phone or computer browsing something with a hollow look in her eyes (what she was searching for, their teammates didn't know and couldn't tell), Blake was content on reading a book, Weiss seemed fine studying and reviewing for classes, and Ruby… was usually out of the dorm room doing something else. After a few days though, it became apparently clear that peace and quiet was not something the RWBY dorm would be facing as it quickly became obvious that Weiss seemed rather dissatisfied with a lot of Ruby's choices. Or rather, Weiss did not agree with Ruby's pranks and misdemeanors she conducted around the school.

Replacing the soap in all of the bathrooms with fake soap that covered the user's hands with more and more soot the more often it was rubbed, changing out the chalk in some of their classes with unprintable substances so teachers could not write on the board, and sabotaging the towels of random students (including Weiss's and their neighboring teammates, Ren's) to rub color onto one's hair and body (Weiss ended up with blue streaks in her hair and a partially blue body, while Ren ended up with a pink body if the shrieks of amusement from across the hallway were anything to go by) were just a few pranks their esteemed team leader managed to pull off. And to Weiss's chagrin, did not get in trouble for, as there was no actual harm being done in her pranks and she was never caught in the actual act. To Blake's astonishment though, Ruby would always come forth AFTER the prank was pulled in order to take credit, but seemed to always be congratulated for doing so and would clean her mess up afterward.

With the soap incident, Ruby provided hand sanitizer to help wipe off the soot by the exit with a lovely note saying "gotcha". With the chalk, she would only allow the teacher to fumble around and have the class get a good laugh for a few minutes before handing the professor the actual writing utensil, just enough time that the class learning session was not completely disrupted. As for the towels, she ensured that only a few students who had a good sense of humor fell to that prank (Weiss being the exception).

To be completely honest, it seemed as though Ruby had done quite a bit of planning and studying to be able to pull those pranks off, and seeing as they were all just harmless fun, Blake could find amusement in them.

Weiss on the other hand, could not stand it.

After finding out that Ruby was the one pulling those pranks, Weiss gave a long lecture to reprimand her leader. She stated that they were enrolled in a prestigious academy for hunters and huntresses, so they should all be serious of their studies and stop acting like children. Ruby, of course, did not agree with Weiss's sentiment and began jibing at the white haired girl for being a "stick in the mud". Apparently, Weiss took great offense to that statement and the two ended up clashing. That's when their conflicts started to become routine and occasionally would escalate into great heights.

Ruby would taunt Weiss, and the heiress would ALWAYS be pulled along and react to them. Then the room would typically descend into shouts of mockery and it was ALWAYS up to Blake to stop the two as Yang would merely sit back to roll her eyes at them.

The blonde didn't always leave Blake to mediate between the two though; occasionally she would make a quip or sarcastic remark against one or the other during their bickering. She typically only did that when it was becoming distracting, they weren't watching where they were going, what they were doing, or if they were going to far. At some point, Weiss and Ruby were even butting heads and attempting to push the other with their foreheads and Yang had walked up to the two and smacked them both on the back of their heads, telling them to behave. But ultimately, Blake found that it was up to her to take preventative action.

Which, Blake noted, was a very strange experience for her to do so. She had always been rather reclusive, keeping her opinions and thoughts to herself unless asked for them. Usually, if there was something occurring that was disrupting her reading, there was something or someone else to fix it before it could get out of hand. Now though, she found herself in this odd position of being the one to speak out and take charge to diffuse the situation. It was actually quite stressful for her, seeing as so far it seemed as though a mere pin drop could start an argument between her two teammate.

"Look, you two need to calm down before we're late for class." Blake sighed

"Yeah Weiss, calm down." Ruby mockingly repeated

"It's not MY fault that-" Weiss began

"Weiss." Blake hissed, "For goodness sake."

The heiress immediately began to grumble as she glared at her leader

"And Ruby," Blake sighed, "must you purposely aggravate her?"

Their team leader merely snickered, "But it's so easy."

Weiss gasped in offense, a retort on the tip of her tongue before a glare from Blake stopped her. "Fine." She grumbled before the four made their way to their classes for the day.

Academics were… an interesting subject around their team leader. It always seemed as though Ruby tried her best to maintain focus in their core subjects, but had difficulty staying that way. Sometimes, she would just blankly stare at the teacher before quickly hunching over her papers to scribble something down, or frantically flipping the pages in her text before placing a sticky note somewhere. She was better about taking notes in Grimm and Dust studies though, but not by much. When it came to sparring class though, her teammates all agreed that she was rather impressive about ensuring she obtained every piece of information she could find.

And while initially Weiss still did not believe that Ruby deserved the title of team leader due to her mischievous streak, after some observation of the young student, Weiss realized that Ruby was actually taking her studies seriously. Despite all her flaws and… abhorrent tendencies, Ruby was actually rather clever when necessary.

For example, during their first class of Grimm Studies with Professor Port, Ruby had been quietly mumbling to herself while scribbling in her notebook. Weiss had assumed that the delinquent was merely doodling and not paying attention and allowed her anger to build. Though it popped the moment Blake had nudged her and Yang, gesturing with her head to tell them to take a peak at whatever their leader was doing. Rolling her eyes and acquiescing to Blake's demand, she snuck a peak at the young leader's notes and her eyebrows immediately shot up in surprise.

The page was indeed covered in doodles like Weiss had assumed, but not of anything silly. On one side, there was a rather crude drawing of the Grimm that they had been studying, the boar tusk, with lines pointing at areas and small bits of information littered around it like; "Hard back = Turtle shell", "Eyes + Tusks front = Charge One direction", "Stomach Unprotected = Weak spot", and more. Despite the limited amount of words (and incredibly messy writing), it was astonishingly informative. While on the other page, there was a number of battle formations littered all around it that Weiss was surprised to find, after imagining them, were rather effective.

Upon Professor Port asking for volunteers to fend a Grimm, Weiss raised her hand to put one of Ruby's tactics to the test.

Immediately after being charged at, she quickly dodged the Boar Tusk and side stepped her way behind the soulless creature and made it flip onto it's back. Like Ruby's notes stated, it did indeed act like a turtle struggling to right itself, leaving the Grimm's stomach vulnerable and easy to defeat.

To say she was shocked that her iniquitous leader was actually a very tactful strategist would be an understatement. Although, after some time to gather her thoughts in private… she supposed that it was not actually that surprising seeing as Ruby had to be rather clever in order to successfully pull off her pranks.

Then, there was the test in Dust Studies. The study and use of those minerals were nothing to sneeze at, and is usually one of the top classes that every student struggles in. Class averages, even at a school as prestigious as Beacon Academy, usually ranged from 73% to 80%. It wasn't because the teacher was awful; it was merely because most students couldn't get a hang on Dust control and applications, especially with refined dust. As the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company though, it was only expected that she would not obtain anything less than 100% on that test. Weiss also suspected that the other students in that class to earn above a 90% would wind up being Pyrrha Nikos and Lie Ren. To her surprise (once again), Ruby ended up being the second top student, taking the spot by a mere point from Pyrrha.

Needless to say, no one on the team had too many complaints about having someone so young and troublesome lead them after observing her for the first week.

Weiss still hated the fact that someone who continuously misbehaves was a leader though.

Again, it was times like these, when they were in Sparring Class and Ruby was hunched over on their bench with a pen, scribbling notes in her binder about their classmates and their fighting styles, that Weiss had no other choice but to admire Ruby… just a little bit. She was also, like Yang and Blake, very certain that that Ruby's notes were thoroughly organized and very informative. Unfortunately, they had yet to see them applied into action due to Ruby never being called upon or volunteering for a sparring match (despite it being the third week of school) nor have they had the chance to sneak another peak at her notebook to try it themselves.

So whenever Professor Goodwitch asked for volunteers, like at this moment, they would all glance at their leader, hoping that she raise her hand.

But alas, Ruby once again would merely spare a glance up before continuing doing… whatever she did in her notebook.

A quiet sigh escaped for the other three members of the team at the same time an exasperated one left Professor Goodwitch's.

"No volunteers?" The blonde professor asked, glancing up and through the seats.

Silence

She allowed her eyes to fall onto Ruby and arched a brow, glancing down briefly at the seating arrangements. "Miss Fall, I don't believe you've had the honor of showing the rest of the class the extent of your capabilities as of yet, would you care to step into the arena?"

The entire class, as though they were still in middle school, all turned their heads to stare at Ruby. A few looked rather interested and hopeful to see her spar, but none more so than her own teammates.

The red hooded clad student gave a small grin and shook her head though, much to her team's disappointment. "Sorry teach, not today. Maybe some other time though."

Glynda merely sighed out of frustration, "I suppose if there are no willing volunteers, I'll have no choice but to randomize a match… Again." She scornfully stated, bringing up her electronic pad to do just that.

On the large screen above, faces and names randomly blurred by for all but 5 seconds before settling on 2 different ones.

"Jaune Arc and Cardin Winchester, please step down into the arena." The professor announced.

Upon hearing their names, a whine (or maybe a whimper) sounded along with some snickering, while the rest of the class merely rolled their eyes. Whether in regards of having to submit themselves to watching Jaune fight, or having to see Cardin for a prolonged period of time, or possibly both.

For Ruby, it was mainly due to having to stare at an ignorant bigot, but she supposed that she might as well break down Cardin's fighting style now and get it over with.

Although…

She paused in her notes as she focused on Jaune.

He stood before Cardin, hand gripping around his sword hilt tightly while held a little before him, his shield half lowered facing the side, his legs were clumsily spread barely shoulder width apart with toes facing forward and his right foot half a step in front of his left. Upon hearing Glynda indicate the beginning of the match, he immediately charged forward, with his shield swinging back and forth from the side and sword already above his head.

Everything about Jaune's stance and attacking sequence screamed, "I have no idea what the heck I'm doing!" And Ruby found that really weird.

Getting into Beacon academy was pretty tough, that was no secret. Yet somehow, a clumsy guy who can barely fight and fend himself managed to get in.

Despite her own struggles keeping up with the standard textbook courses (due to moving around constantly and not exactly being able to grow up with a formal education) Ruby believed she was doing alright for a 15 year old being shot ahead 2 years (or more, it was hard to tell what grade level she was at when she was pretty much homeschooled). And while usually students struggle in one area, they usually more than make up for it in the other, like how Ruby does with the Hunting courses (a necessary requirement from moving around the kingdoms so frequently and Cinder making sure Ruby held enough knowledge to guarantee her own safety). Jaune on the other hand, seemed to struggle with everything.

It was really weird.

There had to be a reason for Jaune to be here at the academy, but Ruby could not figure out what that reason was.

She glanced at her notebook and bit her lip, she would have to type up all the information she had of Jaune up and call to ask Roman to dig through some records for her.

It was not something she was looking forward to.

"That's enough." Glynda announced, causing Ruby to snap out of her thoughts as her professor stepped in between Cardin and Jaune, "As you can see students, Mr. Arc's aura has dropped into the red, which in a tournament style battle, would indicate that the winner of this match is Cardin Winchester. In the event you find yourselves in a match, I highly recommend that you refer to the screen to see the level at which your aura is. That way, you can decipher whether it is appropriate to be on the offense, or take a more defensive strategy."

"While out in the field, I also recommend that you refer to your scroll so you know whether it is safe for you to continue battle, or when you should retreat, otherwise if your aura has depleted, then you can assume that you could be severely injured. Which is something we would not want of course." Glynda continued, "Please remember that in a few weeks, you will have the opportunity to select your first mission of the year and in a few months, the Vytal Tournament will arrive here at Beacon. In the time frame from now on, I will try my best to prepare you all for the tournament and ensure that you all are confident to go out on your missions." She finished just as the bell rang

"And Miss Fall!" She called out before Ruby and her team could head out to lunch, "From what I have learned through Ozpin and Doctor Ooblek, you are actually quite the combatant. And as I know, you are more than happy to take credit for certain incidents that have been occurring around campus lately, so I can only wonder why you have yet to volunteer to demonstrate for a match seeing as it would be the perfect opportunity for you to show off your capabilities. Furthermore, you are also the only student in the class who has yet to give us the honor of a demonstration, therefore during our next class, I expect you to be prepared for the first match of the period." Glynda sternly stated.

Ruby merely grinned before giving a jaunty salute, "Roger that Capt." She stated, causing her professor to raise a brow before turning away and mouthing her new title to herself.

The young leader turned to the rest of her team once they left the classroom, "You guys go on ahead. I want to make a call to my family before grabbing food, so I'll catch up with you guys later."

Yang merely shrugged with a small smile, "Alright. We'll be at the usual table and save you a seat."

"Thanks." Ruby merely grinned before heading in the opposite direction of the cafeteria as the other three watched her leave before turning themselves.

"Must have a nice family, since she calls them so often…" Blake mumbled lowly as they made their way to the lunchroom.

She didn't mean it to be as loud as it was when she said it, but Yang and Weiss heard it regardless. Both muttering their agreements as a sad smile crossed Yang's face and a small scowl graced Weiss's.

With that, the trio merely continued walking silently.

It was an unspoken agreement with the three that they would never ask or speak of their or each other's family issues. It just, wasn't comfortable for any of them to do so and it seemed intrusive to ask one another. Ruby though, didn't seem to hold such qualms when it came to pointing such issues out like earlier that day. For whatever reason though, after her initial statement, they could never stay angry with her for doing so for long. It most likely had to do with the way she would say it as a fact, something that just… was. There was no malice, sympathy, pity, or judgment when she said it, and maybe that's why they could never bring themselves to be angry at her.

And maybe that's why they couldn't bring themselves to talk to each other about it. Out of fear that the other would understand one another's pain, and it wasn't something they could bear.

"Can I just say, that the cafeteria here is the best?" Yang sighed with content as the three filled up their trays with different foods.

Weiss nodded in confirmation, "While I wouldn't say that it's the best, I do have to say that it exceeds my initial expectation of what the food here would be like."

"What did you think it'd be like?" Blake asked with a quirked brow.

The heiress shrugged, "Bland. Boring. That meals would be the same and we wouldn't have a variety." She stated as she placed a red apple on the corner, "But I do have to say that I'm glad I was proven wrong in this assumption."

Yang blanched, "God… it's like you swallowed a dictionary or something."

A scowl, "I'll have you know that there is nothing wrong with the manner I speak in. Though I can not say the same for you."

"I speak like a normal human being." Yang retorted, leaning over the counter in order to reach the last slice of cake.

Upon doing so, a worn out slip of paper slid out of her pocket and slowly fluttered down onto the ground.

Blake picked it up before it could be stepped on, and upon flipping it over realized that it was a picture.

A very worn out, stained, and old photograph of a little girl with bright lilac eyes, blonde pig-tails, and a wide toothy smile hugging a smiling toddler from behind.

Before she could take a closer look at it though, the photograph was snatched (gently) out of her hand. Following the hand, her golden eyes met with bright red ones glaring at her.

"Don't touch that." Yang nearly growled as she delicately stuffed the picture back into the left inside pocket of her jacket.

Blake and Weiss raised both their eyebrows in surprise; unsure of how else to react as Yang had never lost her temper that quickly before.

Sure, there were times she became angry and hotheaded during sparring matches, but she always seemed to keep a rather cool head outside of fights.

With a small glance at each other, they came to an understanding that it must be one of those unspeakable agreements they had.

"Sorry… I'll tell you when it happens next time." Blake stated with a nod.

The blonde gave a small sigh of relief, her eyes turning back to normal as she gave a thankful smile to her partner. "Thanks…"

* * *

 

Ruby had found that the safest and most private place for her to make any calls home would be at the rooftop above her dorm room at the very top. It was the one spot that would not broke any suspicion when she did so as it was close to her room, and so long as she kept her voice at her normal volume level, no one would be able to eavesdrop on her. No one seemed to mind, in fact, her team mates were very understanding about her wanting privacy when it came to family.

Which is where she was now, though she couldn't exactly say that she was calling family as she pressed her phone to her ear, listening to it ring for connection.

"Red!" an angry voice answered, causing Ruby to give a rather malicious grin.

"Hello to you too Roman." She drawled

"What is the matter with you?!" He shouted, making Ruby bring the phone a little away from her ear to prevent her eardrums from hurting. "First you steal my hat that costs nearly 200 lien, then you frame me for your theft?! Do you have any idea the trouble you caused for me? Stealing a Schnee Dust truck?! I mean, good job for pulling it off and managing to get into Beacon after that stunt, BUT DID YOU HAVE TO PIN IT ON ME?!"

Ruby rolled her eyes.

"Don't you roll your eyes at me young lady!" He sternly stated, successfully eliciting a groan from her. "Do you have any idea how much more difficult you have made it for me to steal more dust? I have police officers actively looking for me! As in- THEY ARE ACTUALLY DOING THEIR JOB'S! Every single Dust shop has a police car station just right around the corner, I actually have to rely on other grunt men to do the job now!"

"Like you've ever done it yourself." Ruby mumbled

"I'll have you know that I am an active participant in my scenes of theft." Roman stated, "Someone has to stand there to look pretty, and it's not going to be Neo I'll tell you –ARGH!" He suddenly groaned in pain, "What was that for?!"

Ruby couldn't help but snicker, as silence reigned through the speaker, indicating that Neo was with Roman now and currently using sign language to him.

"It's true though."

"…"

"Now now, would I ever lie?"

"…"

"I resent that!"

"…"

"No I will not give you the phone. What are you going to do? Sign to the- OW! GEEZ! Fine! I get it! I'll translate." He grumbled, eliciting another snicker from Ruby, as she understood that she would be speaking to Neo now. After a moment of shuffling, it was clear that the phone was now on speaker on Roman's end.

"Hi Ruby. It's been sooo long. I miss you." Roman drawled out monotonously, "Congratulations on getting into Beacon. How is everything coming along? You're getting enough food right? And you're making sure to keep a low profile? Is anyone giving you trouble? Because you know that you can tell us if someone is, and we'll be more than happy to take care of your problem."

Ruby giggled, "Hi Neo! I miss you too! But I should be able to visit back home sometime soon, we're finally getting a weekend to go out into Vale so I'll be sure to stop by if I can." She smiled, knowing that the two would be happy to see her. "The food here is great, there's a lot of choices here so I'm always eating something during meal times. I don't think I'm exactly keeping a low profile, I kind of stand out to be honest. But not in a bad way, a lot of teachers like me and the other students here leave me alone for the most part. I think it's because I pull pranks and they know that I can pull one over them any time I want." She snickered

"I'm so proud of you. You continue doing what you're doing; get on everyone's good side so they all trust you more. Make sure no one messes with you, and if they do, tell me."

"Aye Aye Captain."

"Also, send me a picture of you in your uniform. You should send one to Cinder too if you haven't already. Actually, you should make a call to her soon, preferably tonight. It would really help us out here at home."

The younger girl's eyebrows furrowed down in concern, before they popped back up in realization. She reasoned that Cinder had been allowing her stress to build and it was beginning to show at home. "Roger that." Ruby grinned, "I'll call her later after school. It's really nice talking to you Neo, but I need to speak with Roman for a bit. I'll text you later though."

"You're actually willing to speak to me?" The older man asked incredulously, shredding away his previous monotonous voice. "I don't know what to say Red, I'm flattered. I might even shed a tear."

"Uh huh. Suck it all up." Ruby deadpanned, "Who knows how long it will be until I do this again."

"Oh trust me, I'm savoring every single secon- OW! Must you always kick me in the shin?!" Roman shouted, assumingly at Neo. After a few seconds, Ruby heard a groan, the type Roman would use when he was rolling his eyes and about to light his cigar. As predicted, a few seconds later she heard the tell tale sign of a lighter clicking. "Alright Red, to what do I owe the honor of gaining your audience?"

"I need you to dig through some records for me." Ruby stated, "There's this kid here, Jaune Arc, who is a rather lousy fighter and an even worse academic."

"O…kay? … So?" Roman replied in a confused tone, causing the student to roll her eyes.

"So," she emphasized, "There has to be a reason for him being here. I highly doubt that he was able to enroll through normal means and I need to know if there's anything to be suspicious of so I know which group of students to place him under."

"And why are you grouping students?"

"Nice try Torchwick, but you're not getting any sort of information from me."

A sigh, "Alright alright. Send me as much info about him as you can and I'll see what I can come up with."

"Why thank you Roman, that's very kind of you to do so." Ruby grinned as she brought her notebook and a pad out and began typing away on it.

"Yeah yeah, don't forget, you owe me one." A pause, "actually 3. Because you took my hat, framed me, and now this."

"First of all, you stole that hat. So I don't owe you anything for that. Second of all, the White Fang had already been getting trouble from authorities for sabotaging the Schnee Corp so often; I just thought that you could take some of the heat off from them for a while. I'm sure Adam appreciates all your help, so I'm sure he's more than willing to lend you a hand if you ever need it." She grinned, knowing fully well that Roman couldn't stand being near one of the leaders of the Faunus group and vice versa. "Also, this isn't for me, it's for Cinder. So if you really want a favor, you should really go ask her."

Roman let out another groan, which gave more reason to snicker at him. "Sometimes, I really want to strangle you."

"Don't worry, I share the same feeling about yourself." The student quipped with a grin, "Alrighty, I just sent you all the information I have on Jaune. Now go fetch."

"Arf." Came the simple reply before the line went dead.

Ruby smiled in satisfaction as she closed her pad and put her notebook away, before she could do the same with her phone though, she made sure to snap a picture of herself wearing her uniform with her sleeveless red hoodie over it and sent it to Neo and Cinder like the shorter girl asked. After making sure she had all her belongings gathered, she swung back down into the room and began running back to the cafeteria, as she knew there wouldn't be a lot of time left for her to savor her food.

Thankfully, she had a rather convenient Semblance of speed, and at times like these she was certain it wasn't considered an abuse of power if she used it to get to the lunchroom in record time.

Upon entry though, she was greeted with the sight of Cardin Winchester pulling on the ears of a rabbit Faunus that Ruby recognized from history class, Velvet, while the rest of his teammates did nothing but laugh.

Biting her tongue to prevent a growl from escaping her throat, Ruby changed the course of her destination, her mind set on doing something about this abominable situation (that shouldn't even have occurred in the first place).

She shred off her jacket, folding it up and over her messenger bag while inconspicuously palming two small dust vials out as she walked through the same row where Team CRDL and Velvet were. Just as subtly, she took another student's tray of unfinished food without anyone noticing, holding it in front of her and keeping her head down to blend in with the rest of the students around the bullies who wanted nothing to do with the situation. Just as she passed by Cardin, she poured out one of her dust vials, effectively freezing part of his butt to the bench and eliciting a loud yelp out of him and garnering almost every student's attention around him.

Just as quickly, he let go of Velvet's ear, allowing her to escape from his grasp and scurry away while Ruby continued walking away unnoticed. As she neared the end of the table, she carefully poured the rest of the dust vial, along with the second vial in her hand, onto the lunch tray. The moment she was at the end, she pretended to drop something onto the floor and bent over, allowing her to spin and slide the lunch tray under the table, successfully causing the dust particles to upset and crash into each other and create a reaction.

The tray had generated a tornado to form underneath the table, causing it to rise up into the air with the rest of Team CRDL. Once in the air, the tornado slowly started to freeze from the base up along with the table and benches, causing it to make a sudden stop and throw every member of the team except for Cardin off and flying toward the walls. Unfortunately for the team leader, due to his butt being frozen to the bench, he was stuck hanging awkwardly in the air.

The sorry sight of him hanging dangerously above the ground with his butt above his head and shouting for help and demanding who had done this to him, made nearly every one in the room laugh.

In the midst of the chaos and confusion, Ruby had quickly thrown her jacket back on and stole another student's tray of food before she slid in next to Weiss, taking a bite out of an apple she stole.

"Hey guys. What'd I miss?" She asked looking over her team members, and Team JNPR's eyes.

"Ruby!" Nora stated in surprise, "Did you just get here?"

The team leader nodded, "Yeah. What happened?" She asked, feigning surprise while gesturing to the tornado ice sculpture in the room.

"That's the thing! We don't know!" Nora exclaimed, "One moment we were just sitting here, talking about what a big DOO DOO HEAD Cardin was, and next thing we know… WHOOSH! BRR! SHING! He's frozen up in the air!" She gestured wildly, nearly punching Ren and Pyrrha in the face multiple times.

"It was… shocking to say the least." Ren added quietly with a nod.

"Oh wow." Ruby replied, eyes wide as she reached over and took a few carrots from Weiss's plate. "Who did it?" she asked, causing Pyrrha and Blake to quirk their brows at her

"Beats me!" Nora shrugged, "But whoever it is, they're officially my hero!"

Ruby nodded with a smile before she began to chow down while idly listening to everyone else speak.

Like her, Pyrrha and Blake also sat in silence, both contemplating on what they had noticed and unsure of what to make of the information.

The two of them had seen Ruby pull her little stunt, and were a little more than impressed at her use of dust and stealth. But only one of them found it nice.

Pyrrha had always found the young student impressive ever since she had achieved the second top score in Dust studies. And although the gladiator had yet to see Ruby fight with others, she strongly believed that the young girl would also be impressive in the arena, especially if Glynda's words from earlier were anything to go by. It was a small wonder as to how someone so prodigious can still be treated… normally, as opposed to how Pyrrha grew up being placed on a grand pedestal for being a bit ahead of her age group. Which was what made her so interesting to Pyrrha, and possibly the reason why the tall woman wanted to get to know the much shorter one.

Blake on the other hand, found Ruby's movements… suspicious. There is no way anyone would be able to move so inconspicuously without growing up facing hardships pertaining to living situations. No person who grew up in a comfortable home environment should be able to learn or execute stealth of what Ruby had just been able to present. Furthermore, not just anyone is able to blend in a crowd near perfectly either unless they were experienced with running away. But, somehow, Ruby had not shown an inkling of facing such things if her smiles and personality were anything to go by.

Even more so, Blake hadn't seen anyone be so sneaky since her days in-

She quickly shook her head, hoping her thoughts would leave her mind before refocusing on the topic at hand.

There was something about Ruby that just seemed wrong. Maybe… Maybe there was a darker side to her team leader than what she initially thought. But, she couldn't confront the younger girl with lack of information. And she couldn't just go to Yang and Weiss with this gut feeling. No… Blake would have to keep this suspicion to herself.

And ensure that she keep a closer eye on her team leader.

* * *

 

A growl sounded from Cinder's throat as her eyes glazed a fiery orange, fixated on a group nervously standing before her, each wearing a white half mask to cover their upper faces.

Emerald and Mercury stood a few steps behind her by her side, dark hazel eyes meeting red ones, both pairs filled with dread and worry.

The three of them were in a secluded part of one of their many safe houses, just a little outside of Vale to guarantee safety from authorities, but close enough so any member part of their organization wouldn't get lost in the forest, and were able to drive there if necessary. In front of the trio, was a small group of about 2 dozen grunts, half were Faunus and part of the White Fang while the other half were human.

And they had done something completely unacceptable to Cinder.

The two teens each snapped back to attention when the woman in front of them spoke.

"Tell me, how did you manage to fail at something as important as this?" She lowly snarled.

No one spoke, thinking silence would be the best answer. But it was quite obvious that they were frightened for their lives.

Just about every member of the group had their legs shaking, sweat was pouring profusely from their foreheads, and a few were biting their tongues to hold in whimpers.

"All you were required to do was rig a boat." She stated condescendingly, "To hide a timed dust bomb in the cargo where the other dust shipments would be, so the boat could explode on its' way back from Haven."

"And… you failed." She sighed.

A few hard swallows were heard throughout the room.

"I do not tolerate failure!" She hissed, hands igniting in fire, causing the small group to slowly back up in fear.

"P-Please M-Miss Fall. Ma'am. W-We didn't mean to." One of them stammered, "I-It's just-"

"Just what?" Cinder asked, "You were just, caught?" She finished

"N-No! We didn't- we were able to escape at the last moment!" another protested.

The woman merely tsk-ed at them, shaking her head as though she were speaking to children as her heels clicked ever so slowly forward. "But don't you see? You were caught." She stated, "A video camera caught you all, and now the authorities are ensuring that all boats from Haven to Vale are protected and investigated to guarantee safety passage. You failed."

"P-Please! J-Just give us another chance!"

A look of disgust flashed across Cinder's face before she gave a simple answer. "No"

And the room began to fill with screams.

Emerald and Mercury stayed as still as statues as the scene unfurled before them.

Tear stained cheeks, masks falling and clattering to the floor, red erupting into the air or falling to the floor, panicked looks thrown their way greeted their eyes.

Screams, sobs, and pleas of mercy or help filled their ears as one voice slowly died out before another.

Events such as this were becoming rather common to the two for the past few weeks. Ever since Ruby had gone to Beacon to be more precise.

Cinder had been quick to lose her temper and less tolerant of mistakes being made. And while before everyone in the organization had feared her to an extent, now they all trembled when she merely gave a glance in anyone's direction.

Even everyone living with her was frightened to even be in the house at the same time as her.

While previously, Roman hadn't been home all too much, now he plain steered clear of the house when she was in. Neo was usually with Roman, but in the event she was at the house and he wasn't, she was sure to lock herself in her room. Emerald and Mercury felt as though they were consistently walking on eggshells around Cinder, and occasionally were on the end of the back of her hand when they spoke out of turn. The only thing they took solace in, was the fact that their semblances kept it necessary for them to stay alive and that Ruby would know if something bad happened to them.

Living with and following Cinder now was… stressful.

"N-no! P-Please don't!" The last member hoarsely screamed, throat clutched in between Cinder's fingers as she raised them above her, their feet barely touching the ground. "I-I'm sorry! I-I pro-mise I'll do better."

Cinder snarled, her eyes still angrily glowing, "Promises aren't enough."

But before she could release her power through her fingertips, a song filled the room, causing everyone still breathing to pause in their idling.

Mercury and Emerald glanced at each other in relief, before the silver haired boy quirked a brow in amusement.

"Pocketful of Sunshine?" He mouthed

Emerald merely rolled her red eyes, shrugging before mouthing back, "She's an idiot."

Immediately, Cinder unceremoniously dropped the last surviving member of the group before she reached into her pocket and answered her phone with a bright smile.

"Ruby!" Came the cheerful greeting, "How are you? Is everything alright?"

"…"

A soft chuckle, "Thank you, that's very sweet of you."

"…"

"No, I'm sorry. I hadn't had time to check my phone at all today, I've been rather…" She glanced around at the bloody bodies sprawled all around her before amber eyes landed on the still live one. "… Busy."

"…"

"Is that so? I'll have to thank Neo later then." She chuckled as she turned around and began walking toward the exit.

"…"

"Yes little flower, I'll be sure to get her a tub of ice cream." She amusedly said, rolling her eyes as she passed Mercury and Emerald. The two wordlessly turned to follow.

"…"

She sighed before halting in her steps, turning around to face the two flanking her. "Since we're going out, is there anything the two of you would like before we head home?" She addressed to them

The two teens raised their brows in shock and surprise.

Cinder let another sigh, "And… if there is anything either of you…" a pause, as a squabbling sound was heard from the phone "and Neo…" she added, "would like to eat, we can order it for pick up."

Once again, hazel eyes met red ones, this time in disbelief.

"U-Uh… Sure." Mercury stated.

"Um. Thanks." Emerald followed.

Amber eyes merely rolled before she turned away and continued walking to the exit, still speaking to her beloved younger sister affectionately. Which always unnerved Mercury and Emerald to no bitter end.

At the door, the two teens quickly shuffled out, Mercury making sure to hold the door open for the now happy boss. Before she could fully make an exit though, she excused herself from the phone really quick, and then turned her head to address the last survivor. "Oh and… make sure you clean up." She stated before bringing the phone back up to her ear and leaving.

The door loudly shutting behind her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! So the last few chapters you've read were all posted on Fanfic Net sometime between August and September of 2015. I dropped the story because I wasn't feeling confident about my writing skills. I picked it back up in March 2016 thanks to my beta JupiterMonkey4 over at Fanfiction net. So please don't feel confused if you see any sudden changes in my writing style :)


	5. Pleasantries

Ruby let out a lazy yawn as she plopped herself down on the rooftop, placing a tray from the cafeteria with fruits by her side. Bleary eyes watched the sun begin to peak over the horizon before she rubbed her eyes to remove the crust. Her hands wrapped around a thermos filled with hot chocolate, the steam rising up into the chilly morning air.

Waking up at some forsaken hour while everyone else was asleep was no stranger to the young leader; it was actually necessary when she wanted to go around pulling pranks on others. There were also times she had crawled into bed with Cinder only to be woken up when her sister had to leave in the early hours of morning. What especially made her have to get use to being awake before sunrise though, were the facts that Roman, Neo, and Cinder had to wake at that time, but were not able to properly function until they had coffee; so as a result, were incredibly noisy as they wandered the house dragging their feet, heavily climbing down the stairs, running into walls, groaning, and occasionally dropping something onto the floor to cause a loud clattering sound to reverberate throughout the house (only to groan even louder). Waking up in the dead of morning was a usual occurrence for Ruby, and something she had gotten use to over the years.

Just because she's use to being awake at this time though, doesn't make it suck any less.

She sighed as she brought her phone out and dialed Roman's number.

A grunt greeted her ear, "Red."

"Morning Roman." Ruby yawned once again, but didn't say anything else, as she was certain the other man was still trying to wake up. Besides, she was still trying to blink the sleepiness out of herself as well.

A sound a light knock went through the line.

"Morning Neo." Ruby added with a small, lazy grin

Silence filled the phone line, with the occasional sound of a sip and deep inhale and exhale from Roman smoking.

After a few minutes, a satisfied sigh escaped from the phone – a proper indication that Roman was now fully coherent.

"Thanks for the other night Red," Roman started. "Your sister was really starting to wear us out over here. We weren't sure we'd be able to last any longer."

"Oh," Ruby blinked in surprise. She wasn't use to Roman thanking her so genuinely. "You're welcome."

"Though, I still don't know what makes her so… mushy around you." He drawled. "It can't be your looks, otherwise she'd be bending over backwards for me."

Ruby rolled her eyes, grinning when a smack and an "Ow" sounded through the line. "Must be my charming personality."

A snort, "Ha! Well whatever it is, you should try to call her more often. It would really help us out over here." He insisted, "Besides, we'd appreciate getting decent food around here again. Ever since you left, the fridge has been empty and we have to fend food for ourselves. We haven't even been able to come home and grab any sweets! We were dying Red! And it wasn't until you called her that we were able to get a proper meal and sugar."

Ruby gave an amused look at her phone. "I'm sure it wasn't that bad, though it's not like you haven't had to deal with a problem like this before."

"Look, stealing candy-"

A quick succession of knocks interrupted him

"And Ice cream," he added. "Is fine and all, but nothing beats coming home and being able to reach into the freezer and cabinet to grab them. The same goes for meals. There are only so many times we can dine and dash."

Silver eyes rolled once again, "Oh but of course." She drawled. Though, she wasn't exactly happy to hear that everyone in the house hadn't been eating properly. Contrary to popular belief, she couldn't actually go and order her sister around or demand her to fix a problem. Most often times in order to help the others out; she had to go do it in a round about way. "You know, you should really ask Emmy and Merc to do grocery runs. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to." She said thinking about how hard Cinder might have been working them during her absence and how eager they might be to get away for a while.

Roman scoffed, "You think they're actually willing to have anything to do with me?"

"No." Ruby stated, "But I'm sure it'll give them an excuse to catch a break. Besides, they seem to like Neo well enough, I'm sure they're willing to grab some sweets for her and you by extension." She also thought of how it would be easier to ask Cinder to lay off of them as opposed to trying to convince and remind her sister to get groceries. Cinder usually didn't care when she saw extra food around the kitchen, so it was the easiest solution Ruby could think of.

A sigh, "Well, whatever they decide to get, it'll be more than what we've had in the house for the past few weeks. I'll ask them after this weekend. You're still coming home right?"

"Yeah."

"Fantastic. At least we'll have some extra sweets for us for a while right Neo?"

Ruby snickered as she imagined the eager nod Neo was certainly doing at the moment.

"Alright, onto business." Roman stated, causing Ruby to bring out her pad. After some fiddling around, her pad was linked to his and they were sharing the same screen as he walked her through the documents.

"It took a while, but I did manage to dig up some records on this Jaune. A bit of family history, he has 7 sisters and a single mother. Papa Arc was a retired vet, turned merchant, only to die tragically during a Grimm attack."

"Must be why Jaune wants to be a hunter." Ruby muttered to herself.

"Also, he didn't attend a training school, and in fact he went to an academic one." He started off as he brought up some school records and transcripts onto the screen. "The transcript he used to get into Beacon? Forged, and pretty well done if I say so myself. Though, he couldn't have done it himself if his school grades are anything to go by. Very average from the looks of it, he even placed dead center in school ranking. All in all, he really shouldn't pose a problem to you, with no training done all he's really useful for is being canon fodder."

Ruby swiped her finger along the pad to take a closer look, "No. It's possible he actually forged the transcript himself… He might even turn into a bit of a problem if left alone." She stated, bringing up a graph. "Look at this. At the beginning of the school years, his grades are always low, but toward the end of the year they skyrocket and his grades get balanced out."

"Hmmm. So he's a master procrastinator." Roman declared.

"With a PhD." Ruby added, "If left alone, he could greatly improve as a fighter. He also hasn't shown any indication of what his Semblance is, so all this tells me that he could prove to be a problem."

A scoff, "So what? Just beat him down before he can improve."

"I don't think bullying him will help." Ruby stated as she brought up his family history once again, "If Papa Arc is what's motivating him to become a hunter, then challenges are only going to help improve him. Especially when he has such a happy and supportive family. All bullying is going to do is help him overcome his weaknesses and make him believe he'll be able to do anything if he works hard at it. He needs to _think_ that he's improving, with that illusion set in his mind, he won't ever bother to actually try to improve."

"And how are you going to do that? Are you just gonna butter him up all the time?"

The young leader blanched at the thought of sucking up to someone, "Ew. No way." She spat her tongue out, garnering a snicker from Roman. She brought her phone in front of her to glare at it, until something caught the corner of her eye. Turning, she saw Cardin carefully walking to his dorm window and hesitantly opening it before scurrying back inside.

The sight of him reminded her of the match he had with Jaune, and the corner of her lips quirked into a malicious grin. "I have a better idea actually, but that's just for me to know."

"What a surprise." Roman deadpanned.

Ruby only snickered in return.

"Alright, look Red, Neo and I gotta head out soon. So we'll see you on the weekend."

"Sounds good." Ruby nodded.

"And uh." The sound of shuffling went through the phone, causing Ruby to raise an eyebrow in confusion. "Listen Ruby, you know Neo and I really miss you right?" He asked in a soft tone, "We're looking forward to seeing you home. It just… It isn't the same without you."

Ruby's other eyebrow shot up to be level with its' counterpart to show her surprise. Roman is hardly the type to be sentimental, and she can count the number of times he had been toward her on one hand. So hearing him say stuff like that affectionately to her was just a little bit weird. "Oh." She dumbly replied before shaking herself out of her stupor.

"Well, I miss you guys too. Really, all of you." She emphasized. "Mornings are weird here, it's too quiet for me to be awake."

Roman gave a soft chuckle, "I bet. See you later Red. Neo says bye too."

"See you guys later." She replied before the connection was cut.

The silver-eyed leader gave a soft sigh as she relaxed to finish her now lukewarm hot chocolate and allow all the information from the conversation to sink in as she stared out over the campus.

Once the contents of her thermos had run out and emptied into her stomach, she put it away before she idly began to munch on her apple. Before she could finish it though, she saw someone familiar enter back on campus.

"Yang?" Ruby muttered to herself, pausing in her breakfast as she watched her teammate tiredly drag her feet back into the dorm building. "Must have been out all night…" She mumbled, remembering briefly waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of the dorm room door closing and not seeing Yang in bed before Ruby left. She shrugged to herself though, whatever Yang was doing, it wasn't her problem.

Ruby finished up the rest of her food before climbing to her feet and doing a few stretches. Upon finishing them, she gave a satisfied smile before turning and setting her sights on Team CRDL's dorm room window.

* * *

"Alright… Alright." Cardin sighed in frustration, running a hand through his hair as he kept pacing back and forth in the dorm room.

His other three teammates kept glancing around their room in paranoia, before settling back on their team leader. Occasionally, one of them would check through their bags by them to ensure their homework was still inside.

Team CRDL had been on the receiving end of many mishaps the past few days, and it was really starting to put a strain on them.

The first morning this all began, they found themselves trapped in their dorm room. The door wouldn't budge open, the window was firmly shut, and for some reason, and their phones didn't have any signal. As a result, they had missed most of their classes that day as well as breakfast and lunch, it wasn't until after their midday meal that Professor Goodwitch came to their dorm room, opening the door with ease from the outside. Despite all their protests and statements of being trapped, she had still assigned them detention to make up for their missing class time as well as extra homework, only for their assignments to go missing the following day. Later, their teachers reported that they never received their previous tests and quizzes, and stated that if their misdemeanors continued on like this, then Team CRDL would have no choice but to face expulsion as Beacon Academy does not tolerate low grades nor continuous tardiness or absences.

Expulsion from Beacon Academy was not something any student could afford.

Just after that, they found themselves trapped in the showers of the locker rooms due to their clothing and towels missing. And after, they found all their underwear stringed up along the flagpole for the entire academy to see.

It was maddening, and now they couldn't help to continuously look over their shoulders in paranoia.

"The- The door is still able to open right?" Dove asked

"Yeah I-" Cardin glanced over to the door worriedly before quickly scurrying over to make sure that they could exit. After opening and closing it, he let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah. Yeah it does."

"Maybe we should leave now, while we still can." Dove stated worriedly.

Cardin nodded, crossing the room to grab his bag. Just as he took hold of it though, a lunch tray came spinning into the room, landing in the center.

Confused, they all took a closer look at it and found blue and green refined dust clattering against each other and spinning around in the air above the tray. Before they could properly question it though, a tornado suddenly formed, throwing them all and the beds against the walls. Gravity couldn't take a proper hold of them though, as ice began to form over the boys and objects on the wall, freezing them in place.

Letting out a groan, the team members tried to get a hold of their bearings, just in time to see Ruby swinging into their room from the window.

After she landed, she glanced around at the boys as she casually dusted herself off with a satisfied smile at seeing her handy work. She had used the same method just now as she did in the cafeteria, using Wind and Ice Dust to make this occurrence. By spraying a little bit of Wind dust and forming a light circle just by the edges of the tray, it would be the first to take effect when prodded. With the ice dust, she poured it on the inside of the circle, ensuring that it was spread out evenly. Having the tray spin would cause inertia to pull the dust out from the center, causing them all to collide into each other to activate. Once the Wind Dust sprayed out and off the tray, it would start traveling on the small bits of wind already spinning around the tray itself, using that as an influence before causing the wind to expand and thereby create a very short-lived tornado. The ice dust would then be forced to travel along the wind, but as it was being activated, it would typically freeze the air like it did in the cafeteria.

"Well, well, well." She repeated, folding her hook swords and holstering them. "Guess who's gonna be absent for classes again."

"I- We-" Cardin stuttered, still in shock. His eyes flickered down to the lunch tray lying peacefully in the center of the room, then widened in realization. "You! You've been behind all this!"

Ruby chuckled madly, a sound that was amplified by the fact that she had finally been able to actually be able to use her evil laugh. She knew all those days of practice would pay off eventually. And she was finally able to use it! "Who else would it be?" She drawled, "A ghost? Maybe the spirits of those you've bullied constantly?" She sarcastically asked

The team members all gave fearful glances to one another. Evidently, it seemed that they had all thought that at some point.

Ruby shook her head in disappointment, clicking her tongue along each shake. "Here's what's going to happen." Ruby languidly stated as she slowly unfurled her swords and lazily strutted towards Cardin. "You're going to… fearfully ask me rhetorical questions that I'll be more than happy to answer while I insult you. Then, you'll find that you all did deserve all that's come your way these past few days. Think of it as…" She paused in thought. "Karmic retribution… For all those Faunus students you've all personally decided to give trouble to."

She stopped just a couple of feet in front of Cardin and brought a sword over to his shoulder, tapping them against each other in a threatening manner and allowing him to fearfully eye the weapon. "Then, you'll ask me to stop doing whatever it is I'm doing. You'll even plead and beg me because you all know that you won't be able to muster a decent life after being expelled from Beacon Academy, because," she chuckled condescendingly, "From the looks of it, you guys are only cut out for fighting Grimm. And what hunting academy or police force would be willing to enroll you guys in after finding out you've been expelled from one of the most prestigious school there is? Hm?" She asked, bringing up her other sword and tapping it against Cardin's cheek.

Feeling the cold metal meet his face, Cardin couldn't help but to whimper and stutter. "P-Please."

Ruby gave a crooked smirk in satisfaction, "So this is what you're all going to do." She said, turning around and glancing at the other boys, ensuring they make eye contact before making her way toward the frozen shut door. "You're going to do everything I tell you to, no questions asked. If you agree, I'll stop all these little pranks I've been pulling on you. Why, I might even go through the records and mark a day of your absences to present instead. If you don't agree though, well…" She quickly swung her swords, causing the ice to break and shatter against the force as she folded her weapons and holstered them once again. "I'm sure you get the picture." She smiled, turning around to see all of their pale faces. "So, do we have a deal?"

They all quickly nodded, causing her to frown.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" She asked, her hands lingering on the handles of her weapons. "I couldn't hear you."

"Y-Yes Ma'am!" They all agreed.

She nodded in satisfaction. "Good." She said, turning around to leave.

"W-Wait!" Cardin yelled, "What about us? You can't just leave us here!"

"Oh? I thought you were going to be present today. At least, that's what it'll say on records. Hm. Odd… Oh well." She shrugged before leaving the room, the sound of the team's protests escaped into the empty hallway for just a moment, before silence enveloped it once more upon the door shutting behind her.

She scowled to herself, brushing imaginary dirt off herself as she made her way to the first class of the day. "Late to sparring, yippee." Ruby muttered, taking off and using her semblance to get to class quicker.

Upon arriving, she ruffled her hair a bit before entering the classroom loudly and out of breath. She jogged over to Glynda, mustering up her best apologetic looking face. "Sorry I'm late. I got stuck in the restroom." She lied in a soft voice for only the professor's ears, a sheepish look on her face.

Glynda rose a brow in concern, "That's alright. Is everything okay?"

Ruby nodded, "Yeah. Just a small upset stomach, I'm okay now though. Really." She smiled

"Alright, well if you're feeling fine, then you should be in good condition to hold the first class demonstration." The professor said, brow still rose to ensure that Ruby was indeed feeling fine and acted as an indication that she could skip in case she wasn't.

Ruby gave a small shrug and nodded.

"Then you may pick your opponent seeing as I didn't give you a choice to be up here before." Glynda stated loudly for everyone to here

Ruby looked up in the stands, eyes fleeting across every student as she tapped her chin in thought. "I pick…" She drawled out, humming in thought. She had assessed most, if not every, student's fighting capabilities so far, already grouping them up into those to be careful of, not care for, and to those that needed to be examined further. There weren't many in the last category, in fact –

"Her." She pointed to a tall red headed figure.

"Me?" Pyrrha asked in surprise.

Glynda's eyes sparkled as she nodded in approval. "A fine selection, Miss Nikos has had previous experience fighting in tournaments,"

Ruby's eyebrows shot up as she widely glanced over to Pyrrha, "She has?"

A question that went unheard as Glynda continued, "-and from what Doctor Oobleck has shown me, you could put up a decent fight against her." Glynda referred to Ruby. "Furthermore, I do believe the two of you would be able to show the class a perfect example of what a tournament style match might look like. Assuming that you are up for the task Miss Fall?"

Ruby nodded, "Yeah. Sure. I can do tourney style."

The professor nodded in satisfaction, "Fabulous. Now, Miss Nikos?" She called, looking up the stands. "If you'll please step into the arena, we'll begin the match shortly."

Pyrrha hesitantly nodded, standing up from her seat and being cheered on by her teammates before descending the staircase.

As Ruby waited for her opponent to get down, she walked off to the side to toss her belongings out of harm's way. By the time she stepped back in, Pyrrha was already mirroring her.

Slowly, the both of them took up arms and step by step, came closer to one another, only halting once reaching their designated spots and bringing their weapons up.

Pyrrha brought her shield up in front of her, allowing the curvature on the side of the shield going in, was faced up as she rested her javelin on top of it. She wearily eyed Ruby's hook swords. They were… interesting weapons to say the least, as Pyrrha had never seen anything like them. The blades of the sword weren't on the inside of the weapons, facing away from the wielder as most standard single edged blades, but instead were on the back and stopped right before the sword turned into a hook near the tip. The hook itself curved away from Ruby though. The hilt and guards of the swords were a little odd as well; they were in a similar style to that of butterfly swords, or even a saber the way the hilt was boxed in. Instead of the curve coming in though, it curved out in the form of a crescent moon and was sharpened. The crescent guard most likely doubled to be able to use to slash at the opponent. Finally, at the end of the hilt, there was a small, dagger like extension.

Pyrrha quietly noted to herself that with that type of weapon, the wielder would have to be incorporating a lot of spinning and arced movements in their style, and with the hooks it was easy to deflect many kinds of attacks. She would have to take caution in ensuring that her javelin did not get swayed in her approach.

As Ruby took her stance, she slowly slid her left foot forward, keeping her right foot pointed away so the imaginary line brought by their heels would make a 90 degree angle. Just as slowly, she lowered herself, causing her knees to bend. She brought her swords forward, keeping them parallel to one another and the crescent guards facing away from her body. Her left arm lightly stretched out as she kept her right arm lowered, allowing it to bend and her forearm close to her abdomen.

"You may begin the match." Glynda stated after a moment.

Completely ready to charge, Pyrrha took a step forward toward the much shorter student, but halted once she noticed something change.

Ruby's stance suddenly relaxed, her swords no longer parallel from one another. Her body began bouncing, having her sway back and forward, and her heels were not touching the ground. Furthermore, her grip around her hilts slackened, and a crooked smile lazily came across her face.

Despite her loose stance, there didn't seem to be any openings in it. Furthermore, viewers couldn't help but be a little irritated as they took sight of her smile and eyebrows waggling.

Pyrrha cautiously took another step forward, recollecting her thoughts and focusing on her opponents face as she shook off her mild displeasure. She couldn't allow her emotions to interfere with a battle.

She continued cautiously stepping forward, until finally only a few feet remained in between them.

Ruby flickered her eyes down at Pyrrha's weapons, noting that while the Xiphos wouldn't pose to be any problem, her shield definitely would be. While with every standard weapon, Ruby could easily deflect; shields were a type of weapon she could not do so with. Furthermore Shield bashes - along with every other shield attack - were typically heavy, which were types of attacks Ruby could not afford to allow to connect with her body.

Heavy attacks had always been something of a weakness to Ruby, not only was she small, but she was also really light and rather lanky. Even with a full aura, a blow from a heavy attack could cause her brain to rattle or her body to go flying. Furthermore, her weapons didn't exactly provide an ideal guard. Usually, the best method of protection against such attacks was for her to simply not be there when they happen, or for the heavy blows to not occur in the first place. So basically, she either ran or took the weapon away.

And with Ruby's weapons being such light hitters, she was working at a slight disadvantage with the shield, as her swords wouldn't have much impact.

She couldn't use her usual strategy of hit-and-run either, as she needed to know what Pyrrha's fighting was like first hand. Seeing as how Pyrrha was more experienced with tournament matches, Ruby rationalized that her typical cheap tricks and runners would not bode well for her opponent, as it was most likely that Pyrrha was use to fighting with rules and guidelines.

Ruby grimaced as she realized she would have to try her best to stay her ground and not "cheat" in her fight against Pyrrha in order to fully experience what her fighting is like. Easier said than down, she thought, knowing fully well that when she had decided to implement Roman's tactics into her own, he had firmly cemented and drilled all his knowledge into her mind to ensure it would be second nature to her.

To fight, he used the three rules he abided by in life; Lie, Steal, and Cheat. She could still remember the first lesson he gave her

" _Alright Red, I'm going to teach you three things I abide by in order to survive." A young, 16 year old, Roman stated as he stood in front of a small, 8 year old Ruby who was just learning how to fight as he lit a cigarette._

" _I lie, steal, and cheat. And these are the three fundamental rules I follow in a fight too. When I lie, I distract my opponents; sometimes I'll even pretend I can't fight before I hustle them. When I steal, I take whatever weapon they have. Finally, when I cheat, I mean that I don't follow any rules, I do whatever it is I will help me win and use whatever tricks I have up my sleeves; tripping them, throwing sand in their face, whatever it is that'll help me, I'll do it."_

Ruby let out a soft sigh; she supposed that she could play fair. It'll just be very… She glanced at Pyrrha's weapons before grimacing once more… painful

Everyone in the stands waited with baited breath, tensely glancing in between the two fighters and wondering who would make the first move.

Immediately, the sound of gunshot fired throughout the arena as Pyrrha's javelin shot forward, extending into its Xiphos form, completely intent on piercing through Ruby's defense.

Just as suddenly, as though waiting for this exact attack, Ruby crossed her swords, bringing her arms out and leaned back to catch the weapon in between her hooks.

For a few seconds, the two struggled over the gladiator's weapon, breaking the dead lock when Pyrrha shouldered behind her shield to lash it forward against Ruby to throw her back.

Upon seeing Pyrrha bracing her shoulder, Ruby decided to take advantage of the upcoming shield bash and brought her back foot forward and into the air. Once the bottom of her foot made contact, she kicked herself into the air and allowed Pyrrha to launch her away.

Getting her bearings once again, Ruby lowered her swords as Pyrrha lowered her shield to regain sight of the arena. The short fighter lightly bobbed her head with the corners of mouth pressed down and hummed, as though saying, "Okay. I'm impressed." The action did not go unnoticed by Pyrrha as a small frown broke through her steely visage to show her ire at it.

Once again, they retained the same distance as they did from the start of the match, only this time; they both charged toward one another.

Ruby began swinging her swords from her shoulder to hip, twisting her body to keep momentum with hopes to batter her opponent with the blunt edges, but failed as Pyrrha raised her shield to block them. Still going with the flow, Ruby then spun; turning her body and allowing the constant motion to put some more force behind her spinning hook kick aimed at Pyrrha's midsection. As it was blocked, Ruby quickly hopped, bringing her hook kick down as she used her other foot to execute a powerful roundhouse kick.

Wanting to get out of defense, Pyrrha swiped her Xiphos at Ruby's leg in hopes of catching her off guard. Her move was not thought out well though, as her attempt was stopped immediately as a hook sword caught her javelin. Pyrrha knew right away that she was not in a good position as her whole front section was now wide open without protection, something Ruby took advantage of as her foot stomped down and her other sword came down.

Thankfully, Pyrrha's reflexes were quick enough to crouch down and raise her shield above her just in time before the oncoming blow. Thinking another hit would be coming, she braced herself once more, only to jerk in surprise as her shield was torn off her arm and flung off to the side.

Looking back up, she caught sight of Ruby's satisfied smirk along with the crescent hilts of Ruby's swords rapidly approaching. She swung her head left and right to dodge the punches, slowly standing back up. A kick from the side had to be blocked with her forearm.

Still on one leg, Ruby continued throwing 2 more kicks with the same one, aimed at the head and back at the waist, both were blocked with a forearm. She quickly did a back hand spring before Pyrrha could swing her weapon again, before closing back in and attempted another attack, raising one hook sword over her right shoulder and the other wrapped behind from the right side of her waist.

Immediately recognizing another double attack descending upon her, Pyrrha quickly turned her body, raising her hands up in front of her and seemingly dodged the attack. When she deemed it safe, she quickly jumped away from her opponent to recollect her shield, twirling her weapon to allow it to return back into its' javelin form.

Ruby, upon finishing her attack and regaining balance, frowned in thought. She was certain she would have landed her hits. Lifting her head, she wondered if she really did miss… or if Pyrrha had done something during the attack.

She would have to try again to figure it out.

Pyrrha for her part had noticed something odd about Ruby's fighting style. It was evident that Ruby was experienced in fighting, but not in the same manner as the standard student here at Beacon. From what she could tell, there seemed to be a small lag that occurred after each of Ruby's attack. It wasn't enough time for Pyrrha to be able to squeeze an offensive attack into, especially seeing as she was being placed at a disadvantage during that time, but it was definitely enough time for another person to do so against Pyrrha. It was as though Ruby was use to having someone else by her side in a fight, but was trying to make up for their absence. Furthermore, during her evasions and attack, Ruby had this habit of constantly flickering her eyes around, as though she were making sure an attack wouldn't spring on her from the sides or behind her. The only logical reasoning for this was that Ruby was experienced in fighting with a small team against a large group. For what reason, Pyrrha had no idea.

All she knew was that Ruby's fighting style was very different from what she was use to, and for the most part, it seemed as though it was changing constantly and Pyrrha was finding it difficult to adapt to it. The first attack did not seem normal, as she was certain that the point of hook swords were not actually to catch an incoming attack, and so she had been counting on her Xiphos being deflected so she could use the rim of her shield to counter. In a split thought, she decided to bash against Ruby, but didn't count on her using the shield the same way Nora had done to be launched away. And while Ruby's first offensive attack seemed normal initially, Pyrrha was startled at having to quickly lower her shield in defense of incoming kicks.

It was entirely ludicrous how precise Ruby's footwork can be; one moment she's light on her toes, and the next, heavy on her heels.

And from what the experienced tournament fighter could tell, Ruby did a lot of attacks that were actually acting as distractions. It seemed as though Ruby was allowing her swords to be blocked in order to catch Pyrrha off guard with something to follow. She did that with her kicks and to pull the shield off. Not to mention her punches that came from the side, only to be replaced with kicks.

Then there was the fact that she had been eager to back off after performing her attacks before closing in right after.

Pyrrha furrowed her eyebrows.

If this pattern persisted, then she would have to stay on her toes.

The idea made her smile.

How often had she faced against someone who had made her do such a thing?

The two cautiously circled each other once more, before Ruby suddenly hooked her swords at against the blade of the other, quickly bringing it back and allowing the sword to slide against the inside of the hook before each curve met one another and wildly swung it around above her head once. Then, just as she crouched down, she forcibly swung her swords from the side toward Pyrrha's feet.

Quickly, Pyrrha jumped into the air, flipping over Ruby and thrusting her javelin down in hopes to land a hit. But, once again, was taken by surprise as Ruby continued allowing her body to flow in motion, bringing the sword whip back around and above her to continue the assault on Pyrrha while letting her body arch away from the incoming attack.

In defense, Pyrrha flung her arm with shield out to deflect the attack, throwing her landing off balance.

Ruby didn't allow her to settle, as she brought the sword whip around once again, this time ensuring the sword slide back down for the hook to attach at the guard, and flinging it back to grab onto Pyrrha's shield before pulling, disarming her once again.

The shield was thrown behind Ruby, clattering loudly against the floor as her swords unhooked from one another and she caught the other with a twirl.

A small smirk of satisfaction stretched across her face, and Pyrrha found herself wanting to wipe it off.

Pyrrha frowned in thought, she had never felt so irked about another person in a fight before, and in her match against Ruby, she found herself coming across this feeling thrice.

She gave a wary glance at her short opponent, catching the lazy crooked smile stretching on Ruby's face once more as her body relaxed and idly twirled her swords.

The realization clicked in Pyrrha's mind. Ruby's seemingly relaxed body language was irritating because it seemed as though she wasn't taking the fight seriously, add to the fact that she was so light on her feet and quick with her swords, it made it seem as though she was mockingly saying, "Catch me if you can." Not to mention the crooked smile that seemed prevalent on her face was rather condescending. It was no wonder Pyrrha would find herself irked.

She charged at Ruby once more, bringing her javelin at shoulder level and ready to swing.

Ruby raised her swords to the side, crossing them in order to block the incoming attack. Upon impact though, she winced at the harshness before pushing the weapon away.

Pyrrha hit **hard** , and her attacks were not something Ruby wanted to deal with.

But she had to.

With that in mind, she began launching a series of attacks against Pyrrha while trying her best to deflect, evade, or clumsily block the ones Pyrrha was throwing her way. As she continued dealing her attacks, Ruby constantly twirled and danced around Pyrrha, keeping a constant flow in her movements and allowing momentum to help aid in her attacks as she slashed at her tall opponent with the blunt sides of her swords and throwing kicks at her from the side.

Pyrrha in turn, kept raising her free hand up against Ruby's swords as though leading them away from her body while launching her attacks in between. She slowly spun in place, forming a small circle as she held her ground as she tried her best to block ever kick coming her way and land every swing, thrust, and punch onto the hopping fighter.

After several long seconds of trading and evading/blocking each other's blows with their weapons or arms, Ruby concluded that Pyrrha was doing something to her swords since not a single hit from her weapons had landed on Pyrrha, but Ruby had been able to connect her kicks just as easily. Frowning in thought, she realized that in order to exactly know what Pyrrha was doing, she would have to test out an unarmed Pyrrha.

Quickly, she flicked the switches on her hilts to change to her lightning dust clips and allowed her swords to charge and hooked her swords against her opponent's javelin.

Instinctively, Pyrrha let go of her weapon as electricity ran through it and nearly shocked her.

Just as she did, Ruby flung the weapon off to the side before launching another set of attacks with just her swords at Pyrrha.

Her opponent kept her palms faced out as she twisted and turned her body to help evade the oncoming blows while using her hands to lead the weapons away from her.

At this, Ruby's eyes twinkled in confirmation at her previous thought. Pyrrha was doing something to her weapons. The only question now, was why Pyrrha didn't do the same thing to her kick?

Just to make sure, Ruby struck her swords down into the ground, using them to help thrust her body into the air and launch a double kick against her opponent, letting go of her weapons in the process.

Pyrrha was able to see the attack coming from a mile away, easily dodging the double kick. Before she could run off to grab her weapons again, Ruby twisted her body back around and ran up to Pyrrha to initiate hand-to-hand combat.

As the two continued exchanging punches and/or kicks, their difference in combat styles became prevalent to their audience.

Ruby was always in motion, her fists were always tight and it seemed as though she tried to use all her limbs for fierce attacks, but never did she try for a straight attack. It seemed chaotic at first, as she was constantly hopping from foot to foot and flinging a limb at Pyrrha and there didn't seem to be much thought to her next attack. After a while of watching, the use of momentum became prevalent in her attacks, and sometimes it even seemed as though she were dancing instead.

Pyrrha on the other hand had kept open palms, her stance – firm. Her hands would constantly move to deflect or block the oncoming blows, as though waiting for the next attack. When she got the chance, her arm or leg would stretch out harshly in hopes of pushing her opponent away or at least throwing her off balance only to meet air.

After exchanging a few more heated blows, Pyrrha finally landed an attack to Ruby's midsection.

Being pushed back, Ruby continued in that direction with backhand springs and flips to gather safe distance between them as well as taking her swords in her hands again.

At the same time, Pyrrha took the chance to get her weapons as well, running for her javelin which was closest.

Another small smirk formed on Ruby's face, but this time it was there due to her finally realizing what Pyrrha's semblance was.

It was Polarity.

It was the only logical reasoning Ruby could think of seeing as how her swords wouldn't land a single blow on Pyrrha, but her kicks and punches were able to. It was hard to tell at first because Pyrrha's influence is so subtle, it only seemed like Ruby had just been constantly missing and Pyrrha was able to constantly dodge. But their hand-to-hand combat simulation had allowed Ruby to come to a realization.

She's not the only cheater when it comes to fights.

Regardless, now that Ruby had her information, there was no reason for the match to continue.

She casted a quick glance up at the screen above them and nodded to herself. It was the perfect time to test out a new attack she had wanted to try.

She flicked her thumbs over the clips on her swords again, changing to her Wind Dust cartridges and swung her swords behind her to help give her a kick-start as she activated her semblance and twisted herself to form a tornado to form behind her. Once she knew she was steadily in the air and on route toward her opponent, Ruby curled up into a semi ball and thrust one sword below her with the crescent hilt pointing down and parallel to her feet and the other above her. This caused her to appear as a ball spinning toward Pyrrha with blades ready to make impact, or more specifically… instead of a threatening ball of blades, she now appeared like a charging boar tusk rapidly rolling toward its' enemy.

Pyrrha had yet to obtain her shield, but it was just a few feet in front of her. If she could just grab it before Ruby came in contact with her.

Desperately, she flung herself toward the shield, activating her semblance to help it subtly get closer to her without anyone noticing. Once in place, she twirled toward the incoming Ruby, shield held out and ready. The moment Ruby reached the area Pyrrha eyed, she swung her shield out and slammed it against her opponent, flinging her off to the side.

Ruby tumbled and rolled against the floor until stopping at the wall with her head on the floor and legs above it.

"Woah…" She grumbled, "The world is… spinning." She dazedly announced.

"I-I'm sorry!" Pyrrha stated, worriedly rushing over to the younger girl. Once by Ruby's side, she proceeded to help her up

"And that makes the match!" Glynda announced happily. "That was a _superb_ demonstration you two! Well done! Now _that_ is what a tournament match should look like! Why, I even held my breath in that last attack! I was certain Miss Nikos would have been done for, but in a surprising turn of event, she was able to obtain her shield at the last second! Well done! You may take your seats when you're ready." the professor enthused, turning to face the rest of the students to tell them and ask them for observations of the match.

"I-I what?" Pyrrha asked in surprise, casting a glance at the screen.

Sure enough, Pyrrha's aura level was close to the red while Ruby's was nearly empty. She was surprised at how harshly she had hit the younger girl, but was even more so at the prospective idea that she had very nearly lost.

Had Ruby landed that last attack, Pyrrha might have found herself in her opponent's current place.

"Thanks." Ruby mumbled with a small smile, "For helping me up I mean. I don't think I would have been able to do so by myself." She laughed.

"Oh no, it was no trouble at all." Pyrrha insisted.

The young leader flashed a brilliant grin, "That was a good fight you put up. Congratulations on your win."

The much taller student smiled, "Thank you. But you made it difficult for me to earn it. You fight very well! All your moves were impressive! The way you moved and executed your attacks, I've never seen anything like it!"

"Oh… Uh…" Ruby shuffled her feet, feeling uncomfortable under all that praise. She's only received compliments from her family in regards to her fighting style, so hearing it come from someone else was really strange to her. "Thanks." She said dumbly as the two made their way off the arena.

"Where in Remnant did you learn such tactics?" Pyrrha asked as Ruby grabbed her belongings.

"I uh…" Ruby thought of an excuse she could give. "My… Uncle taught me." She stated, thinking that was probably the closest family title she could think Roman as. Although, she was sure he would throw a fit upon hearing that, probably exclaiming how he isn't old enough to be an uncle.

"Most impressive! Is he a hunter?"

"No."

"Then how or where did he learn to fight?" Pyrrha inquired

"He was…" Ruby hesitated, wondering how much information she could disclose about him. She didn't want to lie too much about her family history in case more questions came and she wasn't able to keep track of the lies she had told. "He wasn't taught formally. He grew up on the streets and had to learn how to fight in order to protect himself." She decided, nodding to herself in approval for not giving too much information but just enough to answer the question.

"Oh… I'm sorry to hear that." Pyrrha frowned.

"It's fine." Ruby shrugged, "I mean he's alright now so it was no big deal I guess."

"Still, no one should have to suffer like that." The tall student frowned.

Ruby casted a quick glance at Pyrrha before looking forward once again, "No. No one should." She softly said.

"So… who else is in your family?" Pyrrha asked curiously

"I… uh." Ruby stuttered, struggling to think of family titles for everyone. It was a little more difficult than she would have thought of, as she had only just called them like family, but never designating a spot or for any of them. "I have… two cousins." She finished, thinking of Emerald and Mercury. "They're kind of annoying though, but I guess they can be pretty cool. And a… uh…" She contemplated on what Neo was like to her.

"…An aunt…" She finally settled, which was close enough seeing as how willing Neo was to do things with her and spoil her to no end. Besides, she was Roman's sister after all, so it would only make sense. She sent a silent apology to Neo though, knowing fully well that she would not appreciate such a title. "She uh… she can be a bit… crazy." Well that was putting it lightly. Neo could be incredibly frightening when carried away.

"I also have an older sister," Ruby smiled at the thought of Cinder. "She's really awesome, though she can be a bit overprotective of me, I love her."

"No… No parents?"

Ruby shook her head, "Nope."

"But-"

She wasn't able to finish her sentence as the two had already ascended the staircase and were assaulted by their teammates.

"Great job you two!"

"That! Was! AWESOME!"

"You two were really amazing!"

"Don't worry Ruby, I'm sure you can beat her in time."

"I'll say - it was a very close match though. I'm certain that just a split second of difference could have made a difference."

The team quickly separated the two previous combatants from one another, the two casting apologetic smiles at the interruption before each team sat on their designated benches.

"I must say," Weiss began, "I'm impressed. I didn't think you would be able to hold a fight against her for that long, nor did I think you would be able to deal that much damage."

Ruby grinned, "What can I say, I'm impressive." She said, polishing her nails against her chest.

Her partner rolled her eyes, "And so modest as well." She deadpanned

"Hey Ruby," Yang piped up, "It's been bothering me for a while, but I just wanted to know why you have Rose petals follow you when you use your semblance. Does it… uh… run in the family or something?" She asked

Ruby shrugged, "I don't know. I never thought much about it because my sister does something glow-y." She stated easily.

"O-Oh. You have a sister?" Yang asked

Ruby nodded with a big smile. "Eee-yup!"

Her teammate returned the look with a small, albeit hesitant, smile of her own, before facing forward and ending the conversation there.

Blake and Weiss gave a quick glance of understanding to one another as they followed Yang's example.

Ruby, not knowing what just happened, merely shrugged. It wasn't her problem if they suddenly weren't in the mood to talk. She looked up at the ceiling in thought, slowly laying her body on the rest of the bench that was free to rest. She'll have to put Pyrrha on the list of students to watch out for and type up a quick profile for her.

She sighed, closing her eyes to let them rest from being awake at such an early hour and expending so much energy already.

Ruby couldn't wait for the weekend to come so she can visit Cinder, it's been so long and talking of her and the rest of the gang to Pyrrha and talking to Roman about home just made Ruby miss them more.

* * *

Cinder happily hummed a tune as she was wiping the upstairs hallway of her house. Two things that were definitely out of character for her, frightening both Mercury and Emerald who were helping her clean the house, to no end.

Emerald was stiffly wiping all of the tabletops and surfaces in the family room while Mercury warily dusted everything. The both of them continuously casted a glance up to the ceiling in Cinder's direction as though not sure if she really was happy.

The two of them were so tense, they jumped the moment the door banged open and Roman loudly announced his arrival.

"I'm _ **ba~ack**_!" He sing-songed, as Neo trailed in from behind him with a bounce in her step and plopped herself onto the large lazy chair. "And look at you two, being such good kids and cleaning up the house for little ol' me." He said, merrily trotting over to the couch before he dropped himself down on it and sprawled across it, kicking his shoes off as his feet rested on the armrest. He gave a satisfied sigh as he relaxed himself and sank into the couch.

Emerald and Mercury casted scowls in his direction, obviously displeased with his declaration. Neither one of them had the chance to say anything though as Roman had jerked his head up and looked over in the direction of the staircase.

"Is that…" He began, "Is that Cinder? Humming?" He asked fearfully, a wide-eyed look on his face as Neo mirrored his expression, her eyes both paling to silver.

The two teens solemnly nodded, forgetting about their previous ire toward the young man.

"My goodness, if that's how she is when Red is about to come home, then we really should have just kept her from leaving…" Roman grumbled

"You mean…?" Emerald began, her red eyes sparkling.

"She's coming back?" Mercury asked with a small smile

Roman nodded, "Yup. Just for the weekend though, then we're back to dealing with-" He gestured his head toward the staircase to indicate he was talking about Cinder. "That. But brooding."

Everyone gave small shudders at the idea.

Mercury turned toward Emerald with a small smirk on his face after shaking his fear off, "You were just excited that the squirt was coming home weren't you?"

"Wha- I-" Emerald stuttered. "No I wasn't!"

"Admit it, you missed her." Mercury continued

Emerald growled, "No. I didn't." she denied, "She's going to come home and pull a bunch of pranks and next thing I know, I'm being roped into helping her clean up. Who in their right mind would miss that?"

"Ruby is going to be so happy when I tell her that you missed her." Mercury snickered. "She might even give you a hug!"

The tan girl blanched at the idea, "Ugh. Gross. You better not."

"Don't worry, I'll tell her." The tall teen reassured before addressing Roman again. "And so? How'd your thing go last night? We didn't get to ask since you left so early this morning."

Roman went quiet, giving a thoughtful look up at the ceiling as she threw his arms behind his head. "It was… eventful." He said, "We had to leave early because some Blondie stopped Neo and kept glancing at her through the night."

Emerald snorted, "What? Did Neo disguise herself as some hottie?"

Neo shook her head with a frown, bringing up a small white board up from the coffee table, left their for her use to communicate with those two and Cinder, as Roman and Ruby had both learned sign language to communicate with her. She quickly scribbled on it and turned it around. "Black hair, silver eyes."

Roman nodded, "Blondie suddenly grabbed her when we were talking to Junior before apologizing and saying how she got the wrong person." He said, his voice softening. He cast a quick glance over to the staircase, making sure Cinder wasn't there. "I think Blondie was looking for Ruby."

Neo gave a sad frown, eyes welling up as he said this.

Mercury's and Emerald's hearts lurched at that admission, both casting a glance toward the stairs as well before settling back on Roman.

"I… Are you sure?" Mercury asked wide-eyed, almost pleading the answer to be no.

Roman nodded solemnly, "When she apologized, she said she thought Neo was her missing sister. I tried to give her my sympathies, asking her how long her sister had been missing." He paused, "She said nearly 11 years."

That was about as long as Ruby and Cinder had been together as they all knew that Ruby and Cinder weren't related by blood. Roman especially as he had been acquainted with Cinder since before she met Ruby, and was there when she brought Ruby home.

He could still remember the snowy day Cinder showed back up to the apartment they had been squatting in out of breath with a small, shivering, and pale Ruby in her arms. How Cinder had a desperate look in her eyes, frantically saying that Ruby was malnourished, that they had to feed her, and that she had been out in the cold for so long, she had to be warmed, and how she might be sick, so they had to get her medicine.

He remembered that it was the first time either he or Neo had seen her portray any emotion since they first met her so they were frozen into shock until she angrily ordered them to move and help her. So they did.

He also remembered a week later, when Ruby was just starting to feel better she wanted to thank him and Neo somehow. They didn't bother with her though because this little girl somehow managed to get into Cinder's good graces in a mere day when they've known her for so much longer, so left her alone and told her to get lost.

He remembered how later that day when they came back to the apartment, it had been nearly torn upside down as Cinder rushed out, desperately asking them if they had seen Ruby since she had been missing the moment she woke.

He remembered that they all ran out into the cold, snow-covered city, looking for her desperately as they searched all over. Neo had found her shortly after in an alley not so far from the apartment, shivering in the corner with teeth chattering. And how Neo told him later that Ruby had shown an apologetic smile before saying, "You found me. I'm sorry I didn't get lost."

He remembered when he came back to the apartment at the same time as Cinder, Ruby had been curled up and clinging to Neo, his sister not knowing what to do with someone who merely wanted to hold her so hesitantly and awkwardly patted the child on the back.

He could still remember how Cinder had squeezed the little child, tears in her face as she asked her not to do that again, only easing up after hearing a muffled apology.

He remembered that they had to start all over to nurse Ruby back to health. And during that time, he could still feel the warmth in his hand spreading in memory of her trembling and cold hand reached out to hold his. Just to hold it. And when her smile she casted his way came with a hoarse whisper of, "Your hand is so warm." His had reflexively tightened.

What he couldn't remember though, was when Ruby had made such a permanent mark in all of their lives that they couldn't even bear the idea of her ever leaving.

But this was especially true for Cinder, and everyone knew this.

"She can't know." Emerald said, referring to their boss.

"No. She can't." Roman agreed. "So we're going to make sure she doesn't ever find out."

Silence reigned through the room as a serious, and gloomy air hung over them.

"C'mon you guys. I know the squirt and she **adores** us!" Mercury stated, breaking the silence. "She would never leave us, I bet the thought has never even crossed her mind!"

A small smile nearly made an appearance on Emerald, before she quashed the motion and crossed her arm, "Hah. She's like a thorn at our side, she probably wouldn't even be willing if she were told to go."

Neo and Roman gave small smiles to each other, shaking their heads out of amusement.

"You're right." Roman said, "In fact when I called her, she told me that waking up in the morning is weird now! She says it's 'too quiet' for her." He proclaimed, causing chuckles to pass through the group as the mood considerably lightened at the statement.

The reassurance of her coming home lifted their spirits even higher.

"Neo. You're here. Good." Cinder exclaimed with a nod as she walked into the room.

The petite girl smiled and nodded.

"I need you to go out to do some grocery shopping with me. You know a lot more about those… abominations that she insists is food and adores. So I need you to help me pick them out." Cinder stated

Neo gave an eager nod, only happy to assist with this.

Cinder gave a small smile before she turned to grab her jacket and purse, still happily humming a tune.

She couldn't wait for the weekend to come so Ruby could return to her.

And away from Yang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Props over to JupiterMonkey4 at Fanfic Net for Beta-ing!


	6. Support - Part 1

Ruby scowled at her phone as she and her team were treading through town, upset at the letters placed by her class subjects.

The weekend where students were finally allowed off campus and into town had finally arrived, along with their grades for their first quarter. And while most students were comfortable with the grades they had received, or even ecstatic to learn that they were even passing class, Ruby was not among those students. She was barely passing higher leveled mathematics, she wasn't fairing any better in English Literature, and her grade for history was… less than admirable.

Weiss seemed to share the same sentiment as her.

"Ruby!" She shrieked aghast upon accidentally glancing over at her leader's phone. "What-Why do you have such deplorable grades for your standard courses?!"

Ruby for her part merely grumbled, shoving her phone into her pocket before mumbling replying, "I'm just having a hard time keeping up in class… is all…"

The Schnee heiress scoffed at the notion, "Please. You?" She started in disbelief; "The one who has possibly the most organized notes I've ever seen in Grimm studies? The one who possibly has the same, if not more, organized notes for sparring class? Given, Dust class is a more practical sort of assignments so you are not required to take such extensive notes, but from what I have seen your notes for that class are clearly organized for easier understanding. So I have difficulty believing that you'd be struggling in your other classes if you have such note taking skills. Especially since I have witnessed you going up to our professors on multiple occasions after class to ask a number of questions."

Ruby merely reached into her bag and pulled out her notebooks for the courses she was having trouble in, wordlessly handing them over to her teammates.

The three gave each other questioning glances before they each took one. The contents of the pages though shocked them all, even causing Weiss to be a bit light headed.

Every single page had Ruby's usual messy handwriting, but instead of her usual organized (yet crudely drawn) diagrams and short hand, the pages seemed littered with words. Weiss recognized a sentence here and there to be direct quotes from their teachers.

It seemed as though Ruby was literally copying everything she thought was important from her teachers word for word. There were many words highlighted here and there as well, indicating that she had no idea what those meant. Many sentences that she had written in her own words were structured terribly and sometimes were grammatically incorrect. Furthermore, there were a few words that weren't even spelled correctly, but instead spelled as how they would be pronounced.

"I was mostly home schooled until I came here." Ruby mumbled, rubbing her neck out of nervousness and slight embarrassment.

Since Ruby had moved so often growing up, she couldn't exactly go to school all the time. Cinder had taken care to at least enroll her a few times for primary school, mainly as a place for Ruby to be safe at while she was out of the house with Roman and Neo, but after many incidents of the teacher(s) calling the police after hearing a few stories from a young Ruby ("One time, for my birthday! Ci- My big sister had everyone bring a WHOLE bunch of cake for me!" Ruby exclaimed in excitement. The teacher nodding along with an affectionate smile, "Oh? And you ate it all?" Ruby shook her head, "No. I got full and my tummy hurt. So everyone else had to finish it all. If they didn't, Ci- I mean… My sister said that she would make sure they finish it all, even if she stuffed it all down their throats." The teacher paled, "O-Oh I see."), Cinder decided it would be less of a headache for them all if she waited until Ruby was old enough to know better than to blab.

So, since then, everyone took turns teaching Ruby. Often times they would go out to steal some workbooks and textbooks for her, occasionally grabbing some for themselves as well.

"And my family didn't really care for math, so they only taught me the basics. English was more or less self-taught. I was given a bunch of books to read so… I learned that way. I didn't think there would be more to it, like… reading stories and poems in depth and analyzing stuff and all those other proper ways to write." She said with a wave of her hand, shrugging slightly. "My sister has an interest in military history though, so that's what she taught me. That's probably why I'm able to hold my grade in history right now, but everything else kind of just…" she motioned a hand over her head, throwing a short lived whistle as a sound effect.

Ruby had mostly told her teammates the truth with those three academic subjects. Though, the fact that her family didn't care about math was a lie. Everyone at home cared about educating him or herself since no one had the luxury of growing up in school or being able to attend one. In fact, it wasn't too uncommon for her to go around the house and seeing one of them hunched over a book and trying to scribble notes. After a lot of observation on Ruby's part, she was simply able to find out what exactly makes it easier for her to learn something. Which then led to Ruby being able to be a master note taker.

It was just; with math there was only so much of it one could study by oneself. So while they had enough knowledge to run an organization and keep track of money and products, crunching numbers for higher-level courses was not something any one of them could do, and as a result, were unable to teach Ruby.

Luckily though, they were all well versed in forging their own weapons, in a manner of speaking… Emerald, Mercury, Cinder, and Roman all confessed to eyeballing their calculations, "getting a feel" for it, and went through a lot of trial and error. Neo stated that hers was incredibly simple to do, so it didn't take a lot of work for her part. Their lack of mathematical engineering though, unfortunately meant for Ruby that she would only be able to build rather simple machinations for her weapons as opposed to her grand dreams of creating a super weapon that included a whole bunch of guns and a giant super galactic laser beam.

Instead she had to settle with her swords turning into a crossbow with a slow reload action.

Don't get her wrong, she loved and adored her hook swords, but it was still quite sad that she couldn't make her dreams come true.

"So since I wasn't taught much on those subjects, I don't really…" Ruby nervously trailed off, her face slowly grimacing as she continued. "Know… how to take notes… for them…"

Yang had a thoughtful frown on her face as Ruby confessed her lack of education. It was evident that Ruby had been trying her hardest to keep up with classes. There were times she lost focus in class, and Yang simply chalked it up to her simply being a regular student who couldn't sit still for long periods time. Especially since technically, those subjects are not exactly requirements to become a Hunter or Huntress, which is why many students usually don't care for those classes so spacing out in them is common. Now, after hearing Ruby explain herself, it was clear that she lost focus because Ruby simply just didn't understand what was going on. Yet, she still legitimately cared for her grades and her learning environment.

So it would be a pity if she couldn't get the most of it, and Yang didn't want that for her leader.

"How about we help you study then?" Yang suggested eagerly, "We can have study sessions together! It'll be fun!"

Weiss gave a contemplative look before nodding in agreement, "It would certainly be helpful, not only to you, but to us as well. After all, it is said that you can learn a subject better when teaching it."

"We can even split the subjects." Blake continued. "That way we teach what we know and get the most of it from each other."

"Yeah! So what do you say Ruby?" Yang asked

"Oh… I uh…" Ruby stuttered, surprise taking over and cheeks tinting pink from all the positive intentions her team wanted to provide her. It was hard not to take all of her teammates' offer, especially since they were throwing eager and hopeful looks her way.

"Okay." Their team leader nodded, "Yeah! Sure! I'd like that." She smiled

Everyone nodded and/or smiled in approval, quickly working out whom amongst themselves would help in what. It was settled that they would simply go by who had the highest grades for the subject; Weiss with Math, Blake with English, and Yang with History.

"Don't worry, with us helping you, you'll be all caught up for classes in no time!" Yang cheered, clapping her hand on Ruby's shoulder.

The young leader sighed in relief, happy with the idea of no longer having to struggle to keep up. "Thank you…" She said. She hesitated for a moment at her next words before nodding to herself. It would be best if she could show her gratitude lest she feel a little guilty later on about neglecting and not returning Yang's good intentions. "You should um… You should try to slow down and get some more sleep." She whispered for only Yang to hear as Blake and Weiss walked ahead of them, chatting among themselves.

Her brawling teammate frowned at what her leader said, taking her hand back from off Ruby's shoulder.

"I know you've been going out a lot in the middle of the night since we got here." Ruby confessed, "And I know I can't really tell you what to do, but you really should slow down and take some time for yourself."

Yang's eyes blinked red, anger taking over as her mouth opened for a retort.

"I'm sure that whatever you're doing is important to you, but it's not healthy for you to keep neglecting your own needs to pursue… whatever it is that you're doing. Sooner or later you're going to burn out and I… uh, I know what that looks like." Ruby hesitantly confessed, thinking of Cinder as she said this.

There was… one particular incident that Ruby could recall when she was younger (she had gone out to help some members of the White Fang with transporting cargo filled with weapons, and they got stopped by police. Ruby couldn't fight properly at the time and was luckily in uniform and wearing a mask, but she got pulled out by the cops since she was a child and they didn't believe she had business being associated with that group. Luckily, Mercury and Emerald had been inconspicuously following them, and were able to help out) where Cinder was being more overbearing than usual. While yes, being a doting and overprotective sister was Cinder's default personality when it came to Ruby, at that time Cinder had wanted to keep a close eye on Ruby at ALL times. Ruby had no choice but to just… deal with it. Unfortunately for Cinder, after two weeks of constantly being by Ruby's side, peering over her shoulder, losing sleep to check on her, lashing out at anyone and everyone who so much glanced at Ruby, and most importantly, taking Ruby's snacks for inspection until they were deemed safe or gone - the younger sister had sat her sister down and told Cinder that she needs to; stop being with her, do her job properly, stop lashing out at everyone, and to get decent sleep. It was a long conversation, but Ruby managed to convince Cinder after a while. For the next couple of weeks, Ruby had been showered with endless snacks and treats from random members of their organization and from the members of the household and she was _finally_ able to eat them without her snacks being snatched away to "be inspected for poison", to ensure "there was no tracking device hidden in them", or overall just be rid of.

… Those couple of weeks with Cinder was probably the longest weeks of Ruby's life if anyone asked her.

"I don't want to see the same thing happen to you." Ruby continued speaking to Yang, concern and fear evident in her voice upon remembering the incident.

"I-" Yang sagged, her eyes returning back to their normal lilac shad.

"I'm not telling you to stop, just to slow down and live for yourself a little." The leader continued, "It would suck if something happened to my teammate."

Yang sighed, running a hand through her hair as a small smile quirked at the corners of her mouth. "Alright."

Ruby gave a questioning look, "Alright?"

Her teammate gave a small laugh, nodding. "Alright, I'll try to slow down."

The young leader gave a contemplative look and stretched her hand out in between them. "You promise?"

Yang glanced down at the outstretched hand, hesitantly bringing up her own before quashing the feeling of second-guessing herself. She quickly gripped Ruby's forearm, her own being held in Ruby's own hand to show that she can be trusted, and that she trusts Ruby's wisdom. "I promise." She swore with a grin.

The two chuckled at each other, but was interrupted by the smell of burnt wood and ozone.

They turned their heads to find the source of the smell and saw a dust shop with caution taped all over and police officers surrounding the area. The two walked up from behind Weiss and Blake, just as the former was trying to question an officer.

"What happened here?" Weiss asked

The officer sighed, "Robbery… It's the 8th one this week… Ever since that Roman Torchwick guy stole a truck filled with Dust, he's been popping up all over the place to steal from the small shops…"

"This is hardly Roman's work… It's probably some newbie…" Ruby muttered under her breath with a scowl.

Blake seemed to have heard the muttering, as she threw a questioning look toward her team leader. She wasn't able to think about it further though, as the officer spoke up again.

"Hey, you girls wouldn't happen to be from Beacon would you?" The officer asked, "Because if you are, it would help us out a lot if you could keep an eye out for him. And if you see the guy, call us. We'll be there as soon as we can."

Ruby was amused at the idea of the officer thinking they'd be able to catch Roman, but schooled her features to throw a jaunty salute. "You got it officer!"

The cop gave a small smile at seeing this displayed action, "Now you girls be safe when you go out in town, I don't want to see you later and find that you were all in trouble."

The girls all nodded, satisfying the officer before they all departed, walking toward a very empty town square.

"I don't think it was this Torchwick figure like they said," Weiss huffed, arms crossed and nose held high. "I think it was the White Fang that's been behind all these attacks."

Ruby quirked an eyebrow, "And why do you think that?" The idea wasn't entirely outlandish, but Ruby wanted to know what Weiss's reasoning was since she had inside knowledge that the White Fang were notorious for attacking Schnee Dust products. So Weiss accusing them of attacking small dust shops was… a little odd.

"They're an awful bunch of degenerates," Weiss scoffed. "Led by a bunch of miscreants who want to wipe humanity off the face of the planet."

"Those 'miscreants'," Blake started, "are a bunch of misguided Faunus."

"If by misguided you mean criminally insane." Weiss retorted

"I mean that they're _very_ misguided." Blake emphasized, "Regardless, the White Fang is a large organization and they are _hardly_ going to attack small dust shops in the middle of Vale."

"Even if that is true, it still does not change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum." Weiss huffed, nose held high in the air of finality. "Those _Faunus_ only know how to lie, cheat, and steal."

"That's not _always_ true." Blake angrily started.

Weiss turned to her, an angry scowl set on her face, "No? And what would you know?" She demanded.

"I know that it's people like YOU that force Faunus to take such drastic measures!"

"People like ME?"

"People that are discriminatory! Racist!"

"I'm a VICTIM!" Weiss stated, placing a hand on her chest to emphasize her position. "Those Faunus you're so eager to defend? The ones part of a CRIMINAL organization that you are so sure didn't attack this dust shop? They've been at **war** with my family for _years._ War – as in actual bloodshed and death have occurred. My grandfather's company has been a target for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I've had to watch family, family friends, and those closely _associated_ with my family disappear, even executed. Entire trains, trucks, boats, and planes full of dust? Stolen." Weiss said, her hands tightening as her nails pressed into the palm of her hands and causing the area to turn white from pressure.

Her scowl deepened as the creases in her forehead exaggerate to show her frustration, "And every. Single. Day. My _father,_ " She nearly spat his title out, "Would come home furious. Which made for a very _difficult_ childhood."

She stomped her foot in ire, glaring at Blake. "So don't you dare accuse me of being discriminatory when I have EVERY right to be when those members of the White Fang are filled with a bunch of liars, thieves, and MURDERERS." She claimed, emphasizing each word by stepping closer and closer to Blake.

Blake for her part shook in place out of frustration herself, her own hands curled into fists but they were pressed so tight against themselves, her nails drew blood. "Well!" She started, "Maybe we're just tired of being pushed around so we have no other choice!"

Her proclamation shocked Weiss, evident in the heiress taking a step back with surprise, and a hint of betrayal showed on her face.

Blake's features turned into surprise themselves, her face paled while she slowly shook her head as though she hadn't meant to say that as she took a step back. "I… I…" She stuttered in fear, glancing between her team members unsure of what to do.

Adrenalin coursed through her body as she heard and felt her heart rate beating faster, her breath quickening, her knees began to shake and pupils dilated in fear. Instincts began to take over, telling her to either fight or take flight.

She quickly went to her usual response, turning her body and taking a few hurried steps to make a run for it.

But the now revealed Faunus didn't make it very far as a hook came from the side at her neck, effectively causing her to choke and fall on her bottom.

Ruby let out a sigh as she held the handle of her hook sword, connected to the hilt of its' partner that was holding Blake at her neck. "Running away from a confrontation only makes you look guilty Blake-y." She stated condescendingly as she walked on over to the front of her team mate, unhooking her swords and pressing one back down to Blake's chest to keep her on the floor.

Everyone was shocked silent at Ruby's action, unsure of what to do and still trying to let the information sink in.

"Ruby, what- what are you doing?!" Weiss demanded, breaking the silence. "You're defending a Faunus! She could be part of the White Fang! She-"

The team leader turned toward Weiss, her silver eyes darkening, framed with glares and a scowl formed at her mouth. " _She_ is a person, your _teammate,_ and an equal." Ruby emphasized. "You think she got into Beacon academy the way you said? By lying, stealing, and cheating? Do you think she worked any less than _you_ did to get in? What about her grades huh? She probably lied about doing her work, stole someone else's homework, and turned that in right? Or maybe, she cheated in sparring class. Paid all her matches to lose just so she could get a good grade."

"I don't-" Weiss tried to defend herself.

"What?" Ruby interrupted, her voice lowering and taking a mocking tone. "You don't… You don't mean it?"

"No! I meant-"

"Oh!" Ruby said, pretending she was coming to a realization. "You mean, Faunus only lie, steal, and cheat at life."

"Yes!"

"Well wake up Princess!" The team leader shouted, "Not everyone can _afford_ to live life in luxury!"

"I have _never_ -" Weiss tried to retort

"If you had a roof over your head, good food constantly at your table, a nice warm bed to cozy up in, and a nice card connected to a well funded bank account," Ruby started, referring to the time she stole Weiss's wallet at the beginning of the school year. "Then surprise! You have a better life than many Faunus could only _hope_ for. If you think that Faunus **want** to lie, steal, and cheat, them I don't know what to tell you Weiss, except for the fact that maybe you should get out more."

"Take a look around, Faunus have it hard all over the place! Racists are everywhere, and when something goes wrong, it's always the Faunus's fault. And next thing you know, they're in jail without proper trial. Why did they not get proper trial? It's most likely because they don't have money to hire a decent lawyer." Ruby continued, "Getting jobs is difficult as a Faunus, and the only times it doesn't seem to hard is if they're putting their lives at stake to fight the Grimm. But not everyone is willing to put their lives on the line or even have the skill set to fight! So what does the regular folk have to do? Find a job. Which they can't, because just about every owner is a racist! No job? No money! And if they have no money, they can't get food, a bed, or a place to live. So yes, some of them may resort to lie, steal, and cheat, but don't tell me that you wouldn't if you were in their place."

"But I'm a-"

"A victim?" Ruby scoffed, "You're a Schnee. Your family owns the largest corporation that endorses Faunus labor with awful working conditions and terribly wage. It's no surprise why your family, who refuses to change these settings for their employees, and has an openly racist CEO is constantly being attacked. You're a product of your father's mess."

"She could still be a part of the White Fang!"

"If she were, then you'd be **dead** in your sleep by her hands _Schnee._ " She growled, effectively silencing Weiss once and for all.

Everyone stayed silent, wide eyed at Ruby, waiting for her to continue grinding into Weiss, but nothing followed right after.

Instead, she let out sigh, taking her sword off Blake's chest knowing that she would not make a run for it now as Ruby continued talking to Weiss, "I'm sorry you had to go through what you have, but this war you mention your family is in? War is a two way street, and there is always two sides to a story. Just because you're on one side, doesn't make it right. That's why… you really should get to know someone before you accuse them of a stereotype. And if it seems like they fit it, then you should see where they're coming from before you challenge them…" She finished softly, holstering her swords before stretching a hand out to Blake to offer her help back up.

Blake hesitantly reached out, taking Ruby's hand and was pulled back up to her feet. She muttered thanks to her team leader, awkwardly dusting herself off as she saw Weiss shuffle nervously on her feet at the corner of Blake's eyes.

Ruby merely grinned, before facing the two. "So? You think the two of you are going to get along now?"

The two warily glanced at each other before hesitantly nodding.

Their leader frowned at the sight, before a mischievous smile took its' place on her face. "Well then, if you think you're going to get along, then prove it." She demanded, causing the two to look at her in question. She sighed, rolling her eyes before deadpanning, "You two need to kiss and make up."

Blake and Weiss blanched at the suggestion, but couldn't start protesting as they saw Ruby merely cross her arms and straighten up; standing in a way that told them she was not arguing the issue.

"Leader's orders." She stated.

The two casted nervous glances to one another, slowly and awkwardly turning to face each other and shuffled in place, looking at everything besides the person they had been previously arguing with.

A few minutes passed in tense silence, until Weiss merely huffed in annoyance, not at the situation, but at herself. She was **not** like her father, and she had been trying her best to change the direction he had been setting the company in. To take the first step, she had enrolled into Beacon academy, fighting for her right to do so and against her father's wishes for months on end. Now, it seemed as though it was time for her to take the second step that she did not foresee, and that was to change her views on Faunus. And if that meant accepting that she had been prejudice and bigoted, then she will do so with dignity. So she straightened her shoulders before closing the large gap between her and Blake. When she was finally face to face with Blake, she waited until the now exposed Faunus took her golden eyes and met with her own pale blue ones before speaking.

"Are you still part of the White Fang?" She asked first

Blake looked nervous once again, glancing away and fidgeting with her fingers as she tried to stutter out a reply. "W-well, I-I. I m-mean. I-I didn't…"

"Blake." Weiss said in a soft tone, only meant to garner her teammate's attention once more.

The use of her name seemed to break Blake out of the fear that threatened to take hold of her again. She took a deep breath, and let it out to calm down before straightening her shoulders and looking back into Weiss's eyes. "N-No. I mean, I was… but I'm not anymore…" She quietly spoke.

The heiress's shoulders sagged in relief, before she schooled her features once more and continued to stare straight into Blake's eyes to show that she was being serious and would mean every word that would come out of her mouth. "I still don't condone the White Fang for their actions… But I do apologize for grouping every Faunus together with them and being so ignorant. It was wrong of me." Weiss said.

"And while my apology doesn't seem much right now, I promise that from now on, I will try my best to keep an open mind and ensure that I strive to treat you, and every other Faunus I come across, better than what I may have in the past." Weiss vowed.

"I…" Blake started, shocked at how quickly Weiss came to terms with herself and accepted Blake. True, it took a lot of prodding, but the most Blake had expected was indifference from the heiress. What came from her though, was much more than Blake could hope for. "Thank you Weiss."

The white haired girl merely smiled, stepping forward to wrap her arms around Blake's neck to show that she was okay with this and to thank Blake for accepting her apology. Something that she would haven't thought of before as Weiss had never been physical in showing her gratitude or affections, but she felt that a hug was necessary in this scenario.

Blake, though initially shocked at the hug, slowly returned the gesture, tightly wrapping her arms around Weiss's back in appreciation for her apology and acceptance. "I'm sorry I almost ran away…" She said, nearly regretting her decision to do so. Had she succeeded, she might have never gained her teammate's trust and acceptance, so she was grateful that Ruby had stopped her in time.

The two let go of each other, smiles stretched across the corners of their mouths and eyes welling up in happiness as they turned toward their leader while Weiss gracefully rubbed a stray tear from her eye before it had the chance to ruin her make up.

The now grateful duo faced Ruby, about to thank her for her part, but paused upon seeing her. Ruby still did not look impressed if her body language was anything to go by.

Her arms were still crossed, a hand was tapping against her arm impatiently, and her chin was slightly held high.

"What?" Weiss asked defensively

"We made up." Blake added in a slightly confused tone.

"I said to _kiss_ and make up." Ruby stated with a small frown, "Not to _just_ make up…"

Immediately, the two began spluttering, turning to each other with blushes tinted pink and completely missing the sly wink Ruby tossed Yang's way.

"B-But I-"

"W-we can't just…"

"I-It's not even the right mood and-"

"W-We couldn't…"

Ruby merely raised an eyebrow in silent demand, causing the two to stop their blubbering. "Go on. I'm waiting."

The two didn't want to face Ruby's wrath by ending up on the floor; again in Blake's case, and Weiss did not want to stain her white dress in hers. So the two hesitantly turned to face one another once again, faces completely red and completely prominent in Weiss's pale complexion. Their eyes once again tried to look their best anywhere but at each other, and their feet shuffled in place.

Finally, Blake sighed in frustration as she realized they wouldn't get anywhere if the two of them continued standing in place. So she took another deep breath to calm her nerve, slowly letting it out before placing her hands on Weiss's shoulders with determination and her cheeks still blazed pink. When Weiss looked up, Blake suddenly felt shy and nervous again, but her fear of falling on her tailbone again due to Ruby won out. "W-We should just…"

Weiss seemed to understand her intentions and sense her fears if the small grimace was anything to go by. "Y-Yes. We should…"

The two fidgeted once again.

"Right…" Blake nodded awkwardly.

"Yes…" Weiss said.

Neither one of them budged though and stayed in nervous silence for a few seconds; that is… until they heard a snort come from the side.

The sudden shift in mood caused them both to furrow their brows in question as they both tried to comprehend the sound.

A snicker came soon after, which was… definitely odd.

They both turned their heads to the side to investigate this out of place sound. Only to find Ruby and Yang both covering their mouths, the latter especially though was hunched over, and had eyes twinkling out of merriment and welling with tears of happiness that were pinned on Blake and Weiss. Upon making eye contact with her, the flood-gates opened and she let out a belly filled sounding laugh, throwing her head back to amplify the sound coming out.

The two glanced over to Ruby confusion evident in their eyes as they made eye contact with silver eyes. This only caused Ruby to bend over, hugging her stomach tightly as her snickers turned into low laugher.

Blake and Weiss, still confused, kept glancing back and forth between their other teammates. Then, realization clicked in both their minds and they let go of one another, scowling and glaring at Ruby.

"You were joking with us!" Weiss pointed a finger at the young leader in accusation.

Ruby couldn't say anything, as she was still too busy laughing, but she did nod her head.

"We thought you were being serious! Do you have any idea how scared we were that you were going to do something if we had not complied with your order?" Weiss demanded as Blake grumbled in agreement.

"Th-That's why it was so funny!" Yang laughed, "Y- hahaha! You two were SO scared! Hehehe, and you were both so nervous that—hahaha! It just looked so funny!"

Ruby and Yang continued laughing for several minutes. Blake and Weiss tried to scowl at the two for pulling such a thing over them, but found they couldn't begrudge them for too long as they too, soon found themselves chuckling and giggling along.

Finally, when their laughter died down, Yang wiped an eye and gave her leader a high five as she complimented her on a job well done and Ruby let out a sigh of contentment.

"Alright guys, you're all going to get along now right? Cause, I want to head home to spend time with my family." Ruby asked, throwing a thumb over her shoulder to indicate she wanted to leave.

"Yes Ruby, we'll be fine on our own." Weiss sighed with a smile

"You've been waiting for to go home to visit them forever. Go on and get out of here." Yang waved her off with a grin

Their leader smiled, and turned to leave, but stopped before she could run off.

"And Ruby?" Blake asked, causing Ruby to turn and face her in question. "Thank you." She said with a smile.

Ruby merely grinned and threw them all a jaunty two-finger salute before taking off.

The remaining members of the team all sighed in contentment as they watched her run off. When she disappeared from sight by going around the corner, the three turned around to walk in the opposite direction from where they came.

When they saw the dust shop still taped off, Blake let out a whimsical sigh.

"What's wrong Blake?" Yang asked

"Oh… it's just… I still don't think the White Fang are behind the thefts; they never needed so much dust before… At least… When I was…" She trailed off.

When Blake was young, and before the White Fang had become such an extremist group, they were the ones who took her in when she had nowhere else to go. She had happy memories in the organization as she grew up, but those warm memories slowly grew colder and less seldom as the years went by. She was barely a teen when the White Fang movements and protests became more violent. It wasn't until just recently when she realized that despite what they were doing, wasn't right… So she ran away…

But, even then they had never caused so much chaos or hit so many smaller shops. It just… Didn't make sense.

Weiss glanced at Blake in concern, "If there is anything we can do to help ease your worries, then we'll be happy to help. Right Yang?"

Yang nodded with a grin, "Right!"

Blake was about to thank them, but stopped when she heard sniffling coming from up above them.

It seemed as though both Yang and Weiss heard this sound too, as they all looked up at the same time.

Upon sight of a blonde man with messy hair, and open shirt, and scruffy jeans hanging upside down from a lamppost with his tail and stuffing a banana in his mouth, the three girls quickly backed off and away from under him.

"That was-" a sniffle, "So sweet. You guys are definitely like… best buds and it's just so- so beautiful." He said with a full mouth.

"Er…" Yang sounded, not sure of how to react.

"Have you been _eavesdropping_ on us you-" She quickly caught herself before saying something derogatory and bit her tongue to think of something else to replace the word with. She couldn't think of anything so forgone it and reiterated her statement. "Were you eavesdropping on us?!"

"No!" The man denied, tossing his banana peel into a nearby trashcan, let go of the lamppost, and flipped down. "I wouldn't say it that way at least… I overheard you guys talking and wanted to know what about. So I got closer to get a better ear in without you knowing!" He smiled proudly

"That's the definition of eavesdropping!" Weiss irksomely stated.

"But that's just… I don't like that word. It sounds mean." He petulantly stated, "Anyway. So I overheard you guys talking right? And you obviously have a problem that you need to fix as a team! So I think what you need to do is to go where you think the group is most likely going to hit, and catch them in the act!"

"Sounds like trouble…" Yang grinned, although happy at the idea of causing trouble.

Blake nodded, a firm and determined look in her eyes. "It's worth looking into."

Weiss frowned in thought, "In this case, the place that is most likely to be targeted next would have to be the docks where there should be a cargo exchange from my father's company." She quietly stated before going into further detail, "According to the police officer, criminal activities had taken a rise in this week seeing as that Dust shop we saw was the 8th one to be stolen from. Taking into consideration that the most recent thefts have taken place around here, then it is only logical that the docks would be the next place of activity."

Blake and Yang both turned to stare at her in surprise and disbelief, along with a little admiration at how she had deduced the facts and her reasoning so well.

"Well this should be fun!" Yang cheered, "It'll be like a stakeout!"

Blake gave a small smirk, happy to see the normally quiet and solemn teammate open up and express happiness. She turned to the other Faunus, "Thank you for giving us the idea… uh…"

"Sun." The man supplied with a grin "And no problem, anything for a sister!" He added, holding a fist out for her.

Blake gave a small smile, bumping her fist to his lightly. "Hopefully we see you again soon."

"Don't worry! You will," He smirked, "My boys and I are from Haven and are here for the festival, so I'll see you real soon." He winked, causing Blake to shuffle a little uncomfortably.

"That sounds fantastic," Weiss chipped in. "I suppose we'll end up seeing you in classes for the next few upcoming days until then. I should warn you that we have this fabulous team leader who is a grade A prankster and she just LOVES pulling one over other students. She especially has made it her personally mission to prank each and every single student at school, so I'm sure she'll love knowing we made a new… friend. Especially one who seems to hold such a wonderful sense of humor! I suggest you proceed with caution when you next make your way to class." She politely smiled, causing Sun to look dumbfounded.

"She's not joking." Yang added as Blake nodded.

"But I-"

"Well then! I hope you'll excuse us, as you may understand, we are in a bit of a hurry." Weiss smiled before pushing her two teammates away toward the general direction of their destination as they exchanged farewells with Sun.

* * *

As Ruby turned around the corner, her phone had vibrated to indicate she received a message. Pulling it out, she slowed down to a slow, walking pace as she checked it.

**From: Roman**

_-Hey Red, I know you're supposed to come home today. So I know you're gonna stop through town, which is why I want to tell you to stay away from the docks. I have a heist going on there and don't want you to get caught up in it. I'll see you at home later tonight, so save me some cake. I know Cinder is most likely waiting at home for you with one, like always._

Ruby rolled her eyes, "Way to ruin the surprise." She said to herself as she dialed Roman's number with a smile.

"Red?" Roman answered with surprise.

"So you're going to the docks?" Ruby asked with a grin, "It sounds like fun! So I'm coming with you. Where are you at right now?"

"Wha-?! No! You can't come!" He sputtered. In the background, Ruby could hear the sound of joyous clapping, a sign that Neo had heard her and excited about the idea of her tagging along. Ruby could share Neo's excitement seeing as it had been a long time since they last had worked on a heist together. Roman continued unperturbed though, "Cinder will kill me if something happens to y- NEO! Where are you- NO! Don't you dare get that damn costume!"

Ruby gasped in offense, fully aware of what outfit he was talking about that Neo was certainly obtaining for her right now. "Roman! It's a _uniform_!"

"That thing is not a uniform!" Roman growled, "It's an overplayed joke that needs to stop. It's not funny anymore! In fact, it stopped being funny the third time you wore that thing!"

"You're just jealous because I look cute in it and you don't." Ruby huffed, sticking her tongue out at the phone.

"Ugh! Look, you still can't- Neo! I told you not to get that! She's not coming!" Roman yelled in frustration.

"So where are you guys?" Ruby asked

"And what makes you think I would tell you if I don't want you here?"

Ruby felt the phone buzz in her hand and saw a message from Neo with the Warehouse number they were currently located at; 236. Ruby scanned through her memories, trying to remember the location of that warehouse, and grinned when the image came to mind. "Great! I'll be there in 15!"

"What? But you-" there was a lull in his sentence, most likely from seeing Neo with a phone in her hand. "Neo!" He hissed in exasperation.

"See you later Roman!" Ruby smiled, ending the call before he could continue his protests.

Ruby sent a quick text to Cinder, telling her that she'll be helping Roman and Neo with their heist and will return home with them. After it sent, she quickly set off, not noticing the fact that someone had walked in her path and caused her to collide.

"Oof!" Ruby grunted, stumbling back a few steps. "Sorry." She said, looking up to genuinely express her statement to whomever she bumped into.

But she didn't see anyone.

Confused, she looked around in the general area the person she bumped into should be, and found a lightly freckled girl lying down on the street. Concerned, Ruby tiptoed closer to peer over the new girl and at her face. "Um… Are you okay?"

The girl's green eyes connected with Ruby's silver eyes, starring into them blankly before a warm, mega watt smile, stretched across the girl's face to show dimples. "I'm doing fan~tastic! Thank you very much for asking!"

Ruby gave a small smile of amusement, holding a hand out for her, "Here, let me help you get up."

The girl stared at the hand dumbfounded, although analyzing the appendage before another smile prodded the corners of her cheeks and reached up to grab hold of it in a tight grip. "Thank you for your kind gesture!" She announced rising up, barely bending her legs to support herself.

"No problem mate-y," Ruby grinned, not noticing the inquisitive look forming on the girl's face. "Sorry for bumping into you again, but I really gotta run. Hope I bump into you soon!" She waved off with a salute before turning around to run off again.

But once again, she found herself running into someone and the impact caused Ruby to stumble backwards a few steps as she let out a groan. Another apology began to form at the tip of her tongue, but upon looking up, she met with familiar green eyes and orange-like hair. She quickly did a double take, looking behind her where the girl previously was to in front of her, wondering how she moved so quickly.

"What did you call me?" The stranger asked

"uh…" Ruby scrambled through her thoughts, trying to figure out what she had said.

"You called me mate-y!" The girl claimed, "A word derived from the slang, 'mate' originating from Mistral and used as a term of endearment for those close to oneself and commonly used to replace the word, 'friend'. Am I… your friend?" She asked in disbelief.

"Well I did call you mate-y and said I wanted to bump into you again," Ruby informed the new girl. "Although I didn't think it would happen so soon… But I guess we are!"

The girl let out an joyous giggle, throwing her hands into the air in happiness. "SEN-SATIONAL!" She cheered, with a double fist pump. "My name is Penny! It is a PLEASURE to be your friend! Mate-y!"

The young leader couldn't help but smile at Penny's enthusiasm. "I'm Ruby. I don't think I've seen you around Beacon though…"

"That is because I am here to enroll in the tournament." Penny exclaimed

"Really?"

"Yup! I am combat ready!" She stated with a formal, militaristic salute.

"That's awesome!" Ruby smiled, though she held a slight grimace internally at the reminder of the tournament. All those extra students she has to take notes on and create profiles for before the festival… ugh. "Then I guess we really will see each other soon!"

"Indeed!" Penny nodded happily. "Hopefully later today!"

Ruby gave a small frown and shake of her head, "Sorry Penny, but I promised my family I would spend time with them for the entire weekend. I haven't seen them for nearly two months. But I promise we'll hang out sometime! For now, I really have to get going, I said I would meet up with them soon."

"No problem Ruby mate-y!" Penny nodded in agreement, "I look forward to our next meeting!"

Ruby smiled, waving goodbye to her new friend as she quickly ran off. When she was out of sight, she quickened her pace, ensuring that she took side alleys to avoid cameras as well as scaling and jumping from building to building.

Before long, she had arrived to Warehouse 236 within the stated time she had told Roman, slightly out of breath as she had to push herself a little more and saw Neo waiting for her outside with a small smile and duffle bag by her side.

Ruby smiled widely, eagerly running up to her friend with hands in front of her. "Neo!" She called out in excitement, throwing a hug around the shorter girl when they were in reach of each other. They quickly released their hugs, still holding each other's forearms lightly as the two of them bounced excitedly in place. "It's been so long! I missed you soooo much!"

Neo's eyes switched colors really quickly, a sign Ruby easily read as her expressing the same sentiments as the two of them settled down. The petite girl then bent over to lift the duffle bag by her side, holding it out for Ruby.

Ruby for her part, excitedly hopped in place before taking the bag and unzipping it. Reaching in, she pulled out her "uniform", a black coat with long tails nearly reaching the back of her knees and red lining on the inside of the coat. The wrist belts, military shoulder straps, and wait belt were white. And although the front initially looked formal, it was quick to prove viewers wrong as it held a hood with a Grimm face in front and floppy Beowulf ears attached and the ends of the tails were frayed.

Although the outfit did indeed look like a costume, over the years it had become her default outfit every time she went to help on a mission or was around the White Fang, quickly becoming a "uniform" for her, just as how members of the White Fang had a uniform compromising of a black hood, black pants, white vest, and gray waist sash. Initially, Ruby's uniform had started out as a cute project for Neo's and Cinder's amusement, as they simply wanted a 6 year old Ruby to follow them around in a Grimm costume. Roman though, upon seeing a Grimm Ruby, had thought of a joke on the first day and handed her a toy scythe when they came home, claiming that she would then be, "The Grimm Reaper". Neo and Cinder and joyously approved of the addition and claimed that Ruby would have to wear that every time she goes around with members of the White Fang.

She smiled, gently handing the uniform to Neo to hold for a moment so she could take off her red sleeveless jacket. After, the two traded the outfits so Ruby could put her uniform on and tightened the wrist and waist belt as Neo handed her a White Fang Grimm mask that closely resembled the muzzle and fangs of a Beowulf. Finally, after the mask was pulled over and snug, Ruby pulled her hood over to reveal the rest of the upper face portion of the Grimm she was identifying as.

"How do I look?" Ruby asked just as the door behind Neo opened

"Like a joke." Roman deadpanned, emerging from the door. "C'mon now, hurry it up. We don't have all day."

Ruby pouted before Neo got her attention to hand her the plastic scythe prop that was standing against the warehouse. "Thanks Neo."

Neo merely grinned before signing ' _Don't listen to him, you look perfectly deadly'_

"Aww! Thanks!" Ruby grinned, throwing her free arm to give her friend a side hug.

The now in uniform girl picked up her duffle bag, throwing her red jacket on top of it before following Neo inside the warehouse and setting the bag by the door.

"Red!" Roman piped up, "Make sure you leave your swords too. I don't want police tagging you with them if they end up coming."

Ruby pouted, but relented with his demand as she upholstered her swords and gently placed them in her bag, "Don't worry Crescent Fall, Autumn Moon. Mama's not gonna be gone for long." She whispered to her weapons.

"Oh my God…" Roman groaned, "I didn't think you were still so… obsessed with your weapons."

"They're my babies." Ruby sniffed, "And I won't have you slandering them and calling them mere weapons!"

"But that's what they-" Roman didn't get to finish his sentence as some grunts interrupted him

"Hey! Little Fall is back!"

"What?"

"Really?!"

"Oh thank God! Finally!"

Roman was nearly pushed to the side by a whole group of White Fang members, causing him to spin and nearly stumble as they all rushed over to Ruby and greeted her in happiness.

"Hey guys!" Ruby grinned as she was showered with handshakes, hood ruffling, pats on the back, fist bumps, high fives, and the occasional friendly shoulder bump. (Full hugs and embraces were off limits apparently).

Just about every White Fang member at the main base knew "Little Fall" (as they all knew her as Cinder's sister and Ruby wasn't allowed to give her actual name to minimize the possibility of her name being given in an off chance a member was caught or held hostage), and they all adored her, or at the very least, are happy to find her present. In the beginning, they didn't think much of her and had thought of her as some brat that walked around the base thinking she was all that for being close to Cinder and everyone else in her gang. After a few months the members of the organization found that she actually wasn't bratty, instead she was just this happy child who was eager to try and "help" around and soon, everyone just enjoyed seeing a kid running around doing mundane errands or trailing after someone. They also noticed the complete difference in their bosses' moods when she was around versus when she was gone, so her presence at the base was typically anticipated for just about everyone.

And after an incident of some jerk trying to bully her, everyone quickly learned that an unhappy Ruby meant VERY unhappy bosses, and unhappy bosses were incredibly frightening. They also learned that Cinder, Roman, and Neo in particular have something like a sixth sense meant for Ruby, and they can usually sense if something is amiss with her, and find her in minutes. If those three didn't sense anything, and Ruby tried to hide something, then Mercury and Emerald can tell immediately that something is wrong and can convince her to cough up whatever has happened.

This was unfortunately learned during the incident with the jerk, as they had fooled a 6 year old Ruby into going into a supply closet to "help with something", and locked her in there. They had claimed that they were sick and tired of seeing everyone bend over backwards for some brat and threatened to hurt her if she told on them.

Within minutes, Cinder, Neo, and Roman had thought something felt off, and all went on their gut feelings asking everyone where Ruby went. When it was clear that she had gone missing, they had everyone scatter to search for her. The base was a flurry of activity as just about everyone ran around calling her name in panic, checking every door, cabinet, nook and cranny for the little girl, and within the half hour, Neo had found her. After messaging Cinder, Roman, Mercury, and Emerald to stop the search, Ruby was brought forth and surrounded by her household as her sister and Roman tried to question her in regards of what had happened.

Still in fear of the jerk that threatened her, Ruby stayed silent to Cinder and Roman's frustration and so Mercury and Emerald had taken over the interrogation and took it upon themselves to investigate the incident. The two of them took Ruby off of Cinder, Roman, and Neo's hands, and began walking around the base with her in tow, claiming that they were going to "play a game". They quickly went around, gathering the schedule of members who had been on break for the past hour, then they would ask Ruby who her favorite staff members were and have her point them out so they could question them about who wasn't fond of the little girl. As they gathered a list of names, then crossing them to those who were on break, they would send Roman the names for him to round them up. Once they finished, the two had led Ruby toward the room where a dozen and a half of members were standing around. The two asked her which one had locked her in the closet, and despite her facial features being hidden by a mask, they pointed out the jerk, sent Ruby out to play, and no one knew what happened after. It wasn't even something anyone was curious or even wanted to think about, as the jerk had been left alone in the same room as Cinder, Neo, Roman, Mercury, and Emerald. The other members who weren't fond of Ruby were forced to stay in the room to watch, but were too traumatized to even say what had transpired.

Needless to say, the members of the main White Fang Base had ensured that Ruby was well taken care of while in their care, whether it was out of fondness or out of fear, it didn't matter. It wasn't that difficult as she was rather easy to watch over as a child and quickly became known to "look after" those working with her, ensuring that everyone with her was relatively happy and as she grew older, safe. From a kid, she would ensure her "caretakers" were having fun, engaging them in silly activities and occasionally sharing a snack. As she started learning how to fight and started participating in-group missions, she carried first aid kits in the case someone got hurt and ensured no one got left behind. And when _she_ got hurt and Cinder blamed those who were supposed to keep an eye out for her, she would quickly interject and make sure no harm came to them. (Like in the incident when she was helping members transport cargo and the police nearly caught her.)

So it was no surprise for Ruby to be rather popular and liked at the base. Especially at the moment, with everyone being extremely grateful for her presence as the last two months had been incredibly tough on all of them. Cinder and Neo were both a lot more violent than usual, and the former especially had turned incredibly intimidating. Roman and Emerald had both turned verbally abusive, irritable, and impatient, snapping at those who weren't working to their standards and expectations. Mercury had become an insufferable taskmaster and troublemaker as he was seemingly always looking for a fight. And as the days continued by, it became evident that they all were struggling to accommodate to their new home situation. Cinder would become more agitated and stressed, taking her anger out on anyone she could. In turn, everyone else in the house would become more stressed and antsy as well, taking it out on those working under them.

Overall, the members of the White Fang were simply ecstatic to see Ruby. Not only would their bosses take it easier on them all, but typically their personalities changed and they all began to regularly rewarded the members of the White Fang. This complete change in their moods were much more preferred.

"Alright ALRIGHT! That's enough!" Roman shouted, causing everyone to quiet down as he pushed his way through the crowd. "You can all suck up to her some other time, now get in your groups and your asses over to the airships." He ordered, causing them all to grumble as they made their ways to one of the three ships.

Roman sighed, dragging his hand down his face. "God, it's like they can't think when you're around." He stated as Neo nodded in agreement

Ruby stuck her tongue out at the two, "It's cause you guys are always so mean to them."

"And you're too nice." Roman accused

Ruby huffed, crossing her arms and hugging her prop. "Someone's got to be."

Roman rolled his eyes in amusement before affectionately ruffling her hood. "You got that right at least." He sighed before asking, "I'm not going to be able to convince you to stay am I?"

Ruby and Neo both shook their heads, the latter hugging Ruby and giving her brother a pointed look that said, "Don't you even dare try to send her away! I've been waiting for us to do something together forever and now I finally have this chance!"

Roman gave another sigh before pointing his cane to the ship furthest in the back, "Alright fine, then you can lead Tango." He said, referring to the dozen members on the ship.

"YES! Thank you so much Roman!" Ruby cheered, throwing herself and her arms around Roman's neck and causing him to nearly stumble off balance.

He reflexively wrapped his free arm around her to ensure her safety and he spun around once to help balance the extra weight on him as he let out a soft chuckle. "Alright I get it Red. Now hurry it up over there before I change my mind."

Letting go, Ruby flashed a beaming smile at him and gave her signature jaunty salute before running off toward the ship with her toy scythe propped over her shoulders and throwing a fist up. "ALRIGHT! Let's go Team Tango!" she cheered, causing the faces of the group to light up in happiness and imitate her gesture with a unified shout of agreement.

Roman rolled his eyes once again, catching Neo's changing colored eyes twinkling in amusement as the two walked to their designated ships (with their teams throwing looks of envy toward the Tango ship). As Roman climbed up to the front ship, he nodded to the pilot to start the ship up. He peered out to look back at the other two ships, shouting as loudly as he could to ensure everyone would hear him, "Alright boys and girls, light 'em up and remember!" He began, "We're on a crunch time! So we have to move in, grab the Dust, and head out all in less than 30 minutes! If all goes well, we'll be done with the dust and we can come back to celebrate!"

He waited until Neo and Ruby indicated everyone understood, though with Ruby her gesture was not necessary as he could hear the excited cheering from her ship. He rolled his eyes once more, gesturing with his cane and nodding to the pilot for them to take off and make their ways over to the docks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope Y'all enjoyed this! :D  
> Thanks to JupiterMonkey4 for being an awesome Beta-reader


	7. Support - Part 2

Fog had settled in over at the docks, the smell of fish became more prominent due to the warmth and humidity left earlier that day. During the start of their wait, Weiss had buried her nose in the crook of her arm to cover the sent, but as time passed by, she had grown use to the smell to her utter dismay.

"How people can stand the smell of fish and be fine with this kind of weather, I will never understand." Weiss complained, trying her best to sit down properly with her legs folded under her with knees pointed toward her teammates. "This humidity is having a terrible effect and ruining my usually perfect complexion and turning it viscous!"

"Tell me about it…" Yang grumbled, sitting with one knee down and resting an arm on the other, as she rubbed a strand of hair in between her thumb and forefinger, "I'm going to have to wash my hair like 3 times before all this stickiness comes out."

Blake shifted, wincing as her clothes clung to her irritably along with some gravel seeing as she had lay stomach down before sighing from in between Yang and Weiss. The three of them had been waiting, sitting on top of a building by the docks to keep watch since the sun began setting, and despite it being their first "stake out", they all seemed to share the same thoughts.

This was not fun, and although this was their first experience doing this, it had been ruined by the weather and location, and which was causing them to not be so keen about doing this again in the future. They'll have to try and steer their leader away from choosing a mission that would require them to do this when the chance arose.

No matter what anyone said, sticky weather was not good weather to be sitting around in.

"Just a little longer you guys," Blake said, trying to appease their complaints. "It's night now, so I'm sure they should be here at any moment."

"And what are you going to do it the White Fang really are behind the attacks?" Yang asked curiously.

"I…" Blake hesitated, "I don't know."

"If the White Fang are indeed behind these thefts that have been occurring, then you shouldn't be doing anything. Nor are you expected to." Weiss started, "While yes, it will be rather disappointing at first, you're no longer a part of that organization. Therefore, you no longer have any obligation to them, but in the event that they are and you feel upset, just remember that Yang and I will be here with you to help."

Yang nodded in agreement as Blake smiled at the support.

"Thank you, both of you." She said, "Your support means a-"

The sound of an airship approaching interrupted her, causing the three to duck down to get out of view and peek over the edge of the building they were on to get a better look.

Upon seeing the hatch open and members of the White Fang march out, Blake let a disappointed breath out.

"Oh no…" She frowned, her two teammates looked at her in concern as they both reached out and gave her comforting gestures by holding her shoulder or rubbing it.

"I'm sorry this happened Blake…" Yang said, giving a look of sympathy.

"You really didn't think this would happen?" Weiss asked

Blake shook her head, "No… I guess- I think some part of me knew you were right… But, I just didn't want to…"

Weiss understood what her friend was trying to say, merely giving a sympathetic nod her way. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be…" Blake said with another shake of her head, "C'mon you two, let's go-" She stopped short upon seeing a man wearing a bowler hat and cane walk out of the airship. The girls recognized him as Roman Torchwick as he gestured toward some cargo, presumably ordering the White Fang to get those ones.

"Wait." Blake said standing up straight, "That's not right. The White Fang would never work for someone who is human." She claimed in disbelief before running.

"Blake! No! Wait! We need to-" Weiss hissed, trying to reach out to stop her. But failed as Blake dropped off from the side of the building. "Call the police…" She trailed off. She threw a look of disbelief at Yang, as though saying "Can you believe this?!"

Yang merely shrugged, before following Blake and dropping from the side of the building and causing Weiss to groan and daintily get up, straightening her skirt out.

She followed suit shortly after.

"C'mon you grunts! We're all not exactly the most inconspicuous thieves at the moment, so police are going to come any second now! And I want to go home, sit back on my couch, and relax!" Roman shouted as he placed a cigar in his mouth, "So, why don't you slackers all hurry and try to pick up the pace?"

At that order, the members of the White fang picked up speed, hurrying along and handing each other leashes so their ship could carry the cargo.

Roman nodded in satisfaction as he reached in his pocket to take out his lighter, but froze upon being jerked back and feeling cold metal at his neck.

"Oh for the love of…" Roman grumbled as the team he was ordering all turned toward him, dropped what they were doing, and hurried over closer while drawing out their weapons, "What did I expect? Can't go less than 5 minutes without something going wrong."

Blake didn't seem to hear him, or care about his rambling as she skimmed over the masks of the White Fang members. "Nobody move!" She threatened, halting the members. They all stared at her tensely, before she reached up to her ribbon on top of her head, and pulled it loose to reveal her Faunus Cat traits before addressing them all, "My brothers and sisters of the White Fang!" She began, eliciting a groan and eye roll from Roman

"Why are you aiding this person?!" She asked in demand.

The members didn't move, still holding up their weapons tensely and trying to figure out what to do in order to help Roman get free. The idea of their other two bosses coming to see him in this situation was not appealing to any of them as they both could be really protective of their inner group.

"Maybe you didn't get the memo little lady," Roman began, hoping to stall Blake for a while in order to properly analyze the situation and wait for the proper moment to escape. "But the White Fang are working under a new group now, and I'm one of the new bosses. Which means that you probably shouldn't be doing what it is you're doing."

"Tell me who the other members of your group and what your plans are or I'll put an end to your little operation." Blake threatened, tightening her hold onto him and pressing her blade.

The sudden sound and bursts of wind caused by an airship hovering over them caused her grip to slacken out of surprise though, giving Roman the perfect opportunity to sharply elbow her stomach, twist out of her hold, and kick her back away from him. "I wouldn't exactly call it little." He claimed with a small smirk as he twirled his cane and put his unlit cigar away. He gestured for the members to engage in battle with her, knowing fully well that he couldn't fire his flame-based ammunition lest he wished to cause a commotion at the docks and have the cops come early.

The dozen units quickly ran toward the fallen Blake, weapons ready to slash or shoot at her with standard bullets. Before they could get close to her, she flipped back onto her feet and fled, prompting a chase.

More members of the White Fang jumped out of the second ship, running up behind Roman and although he didn't see Neo with them, he knew that his sister was hidden around somewhere. He didn't worry about the last ship, knowing fully well that they were close by and he could expect them soon. The only reason why they were late was due to a slight lag in their engine prior.

"Here kitty kitty kitty." He called, walking forward and looking around for Blake to dispose of her quickly.

He raised his head at the sudden sound of a click though, catching sight of Yang jumping down at him with her fist pulled back and ready to hit.

He turned his body to the side, dodging the first punch before hopping away to safety, successfully evading the second punch and from the looks of it, a gunshot. His eyes widened a fraction at the familiar sight of the girl from the bar who stopped him and Neo. He quickly schooled his features and quashed the sudden spike of panic in him.

"Damn, missed." Yang huffed, clicking her tongue as Weiss pulled up next to her.

"Don't worry, I called the police and they should be here soon." The heiress exclaimed, holding her sword up.

"Oh just… this is just great." Roman scowled with a huff, "So much for not firing any shots."

He quickly glanced between the two, realizing that he would most likely not be able to hold them off at once and figured it would be best if Neo held one of them.

Roman wasn't the best of combatants, an issue that stemmed from his childhood. And while he could hold a one on one, he normally tried to avoid confrontation as much as he could, typically leaving the fight to his associates, sister, or those working under him. And while Neo was more than capable of holding her own, they knew next to nothing about these two fighters before him. He would have to engage in battle in order to better understand them and determine whether or not they were something to be taken seriously for. Sure, these two and Blake were mere kids, but that doesn't mean much when he works with three kids himself and they were better combatants than he was.

He couldn't afford to underestimate his opponents.

Fully aware that he wasn't too hot on hand to hand combat, Roman settled his eyes on Weiss, before they flickered in recognition. "Why look at who's here." He claimed, "The Little Schnee Princess. Here to save Papa Schnee's cargo?"

"Hardly." Weiss scoffed.

Roman merely hummed as he tapped his cane on his shoulder, "Well I'm going to have fun with you." He stated, implying to Neo for her to take care of Yang.

"Not before I have fun with you!" Yang shouted, charging up to him and ready to throw another punch.

Roman merely stood still, fully aware that he would be safe as Neo appeared seemingly out of nowhere from the side and blocked the punch with her open umbrella.

Surprised, Yang quickly backed off and returned to Weiss's side.

Neo's eyes blinked, colors rapidly changing between pink and brown as an indication of her surprise at seeing Yang. Then her eyes turned silver in fear upon realizing the prospective situation.

"Stay focused Neo." Roman whispered to her, knowing fully well about her inner turmoil.

Neo blinked away her fears, giving a firm nod to indicate she was fine.

Roman gestured to the other dozen members behind them, silently commanding them to continue with the operation.

They all nodded in understanding before scurrying off

Weiss growled a little upon seeing the White Fang run off, anger and frustration taking over at the prospect of more dust being stolen, and without thinking, she created a glyph underneath herself and was slung forward, hoping to charge through Roman and Neo, Yang followed her hoping to clear the way for her teammate.

Roman easily blocked Weiss with his cane as Neo deflected Yang's punch with her umbrella. The act of saying, "You'll have to get through us first to get to them."

The pairs quickly exchanged blows, Yang and Weiss were both on the offense while Neo and Roman easily evaded or blocked their attacks while throwing in their own kicks or jabs.

It was clear though, that Yang was not going to be able to land a hit on Neo if she continued, as the petite lady continued evading the student, exactly mirroring her step by step and throwing a surprise kick against the blonde. Neo's mocking and slightly sadistic smirk continued to enrage Yang though, causing her eyes to change red as she threw more and more deadly punches out of frustration.

Weiss for her part was also unable to land a hit on Roman. No matter how fast her slashes and stabs were, he somehow managed to dodge or deflect them with his own mocking grin. Further aggravating her by tripping her now and then, throwing her pose off balance before dealing a blow to her and starting their routine all over again.

During this little tussle, it seemed that Roman was able to get a keen understanding of Weiss's semblance. Most often times Weiss would summon them in order to accelerate her speed. An attribute Roman knew all too well, but the down side of Weiss doing so, was that she could only go in one direction. Therefore, she would make up for it by creating other glyphs behind him to launch her in the next direction.

Regardless, it made for very predictable movements and allowed him to easily evade her attack. Something she especially did when out of anger, Weiss created another glyph underneath her to charge at him but instead of her hit connecting though, he side stepped her, stuck his cane out at her feet, and caused her to crash into one of the warehouses behind him. Before he could go after her though, Blake made a sudden reappearance, letting her presence be known by slashing at Roman and forcing him to be engaged in battle once more.

Blake obviously had a different fighting style from Weiss. Though speed seemed to be a prominent attribute for her, her main use of fighting was distractions. The use of her semblance creating a copy to take a hit would confuse her opponent and give her enough time to. A tactic Roman could easily see through. He was the master of distraction tactics, and it was time to show it.

As the two exchanged blows, Blake noticed something really… peculiar in the way Roman would continuously twirl his cane around and block her attacks. He would also attempt to throw a punch at her, causing her to raise her arms in hopes of blocking it, before he would seemingly change his mind, take his hand back, and smack her with his cane in an area she would not be prepared for. It was as though his punches were feint attacks, causing her to be blind to the following attack. Blake felt that his tactics were familiar, she just couldn't remember where.

The pairs continued their engagement until finally, Neo dealt a strong kick to Yang, flinging her body against one of the cargos and Roman batted Blake to follow suit, just as the last airship was slowly coming in and into view.

"Now, why don't you all run along back to your mommy and daddies hm?" Roman asked as the first dozen members that came with Roman made their reappearance by flanking him and Neo, all still slightly battered with their disheveled appearances.

Yang and Blake both growled at their opponents in anger and frustration, but the looks in their eyes suddenly widened upon seeing something from behind the group.

The sound of clanging metal against cement sounded throughout the docks and behind the group, causing Roman and Neo to turn their head in question. Their eyes met with the figure of a large spider droid slowly crawling and following Weiss out of the warehouse she had crashed into. It seemed as though the robot was supposed to be security, but was turned dormant for whatever reason, most likely for maintenance. Weiss must have been able to activate it.

The head mechanically turned, red laser pointers rapidly moving around and scanning the area before landing on the other dozen White Fang members that had already finished hooking cargo up to the first ship, and were now hurriedly trying to tie up the next set for the second ship.

"Hostiles detected." A robotic voice stated as it began shuffling toward them.

"Ah~ Fuck!" Roman cursed. He quickly gestured over to the other members, "You guys! Help-!"He couldn't finish as Blake and Yang rushed him and Neo, hoping to catch them both off guard. It was all for naught though, as the two managed to block or deflect their attacks once again.

Roman's team understood his order though, and began to scurry over toward their coworkers. Weiss quickly made another glyph under her to charge at them before they could regroup. Roman's team braced themselves in fear, hoping they would be able to deflect or at least evade her attack.

An attack that never came as a black hooded figure had dropped in front of them after landing a double kick at Weiss's side, throwing her off track.

"Little Fall!" One of the members called out in gratitude and worry.

"… Fall?" Blake muttered to herself, hazy recognition bouncing around in her mind at the name. She couldn't think much of it further as the smack of a cane against her side brought her out of her thoughts and caused her to refocus on her battle.

The hooded figure spun their scythe around with flourish, holding a palm out as they halted their scythe and held it behind them. An action that was easily executed from years of practice fiddling with their prop in hopes of appearing to look threatening, though instead only managed to obtain encouragement and praise of cuteness.

Their head turned to the member who called out for them, giving a slight head shake while bringing up an lone index finger to their lips. Slowly, the members nodded before the hooded figure gave a stiff nod of acknowledgement as the last dozen members of the White fang dropped behind them, gesturing with their free hand and head to indicate to the two-dozen members to take care of the droid.

At the new figure's command, the remaining members of the White Fang hurriedly made their way to the robot, hoping to hold it off and buy the other dozen some time to tie and hook up the remaining cargos.

Roman and Neo let out a sigh of relief, before throwing their opponents back to regroup with Little Fall. Weiss, Blake, and Yang all got their bearings once again shortly after and ran to surround them, causing Roman, Neo, and Little Fall's backs to face each other's.

"Took you long enough," Roman grunted. "We don't have enough time, the police are coming and I don't think your guy's teams will hold that droid for long."

Blake snorted at his comment, "That's an understatement." She muttered under her breath, "If that thing is anything like the one on the train, then it's going to be a hassle to fight."

"Wait… The train? That was you?!" Weiss asked in disbelief upon hearing Blake.

Blake merely grunted, indicating that they could talk about it later as she warily eyed the newcomer, slightly recognizing the figure. But she couldn't put much thought behind it as they suddenly charged forth, scythe trailing behind them with intent of swinging it at her.

"Wait!" Roman yelled with and outstretched hand.

His plea went unheard as Little Fall launched themselves into the sky, spinning their scythe with flourish before stopping it behind their waist, holding it horizontally at the apex of their jump's height.

At that moment, it seemed like everything slowed down for Blake as she sensed their deadly intentions. Her heart rate flared up and quicken, the sound drumming in her ears. Her breath came in short, rapid bursts; the extra oxygen made her head feel lighter. Her instincts flared up, screaming at her that this person had all intentions of murdering her – telling her to either fight or take flight.

For once, she decided to stand her ground, not like what she had done to her team earlier that day.

When time seemed to move forward once again, Little Fall seemed to defy it by rapidly spinning with their deadly weapon churning and breaking through the air to cause a whistling sound.

Blake was briefly reminded of Ruby's last attack during her spar with Pyrrha. This attack closely resembling her team leader's which appeared as a deadly ball of blades, but this time… this person was looking like a deadly bladed wheel. Blake quickly shook herself out of her thoughts, raising her sword and sheath up to block this attack and praying that the attack was not as damaging as it looked.

Upon impact though, the sound of a snap caused Blake's ears to twitch. Looking up, she found the head of the scythe splintering off from its' staff, and flying away from them.

Right after, she heard a low mumble of "… fish sticks." As Little Fall awkwardly landed in front of Blake, staff still in hand, and the head of their scythe clattering against the floor sounding very much like wood.

Immediately taking advantage of her opponent's loss and lack of proper weapon, Blake quickly began slashing at the impersonating Beowulf, only to find them dodging and dancing around her attacks while trying to throw kicks and smacks with their staff, reminding Blake even more of her leader's fight with Pyrrha.

"Dammit!" Roman cursed, "Neo! Hold them off!" He shouted, gesturing to the other two girls.

"Oh no you don't!" Yang yelled, shooting herself forward at Roman. Neo quickly placed herself in between the two, blocking her attack.

"Don't forget about me!" Weiss declared, trying to put a halt to whatever Roman had planned as well, but was immediately blocked by a thin sword, held in Neo's other hand.

The petite lady quickly engaged in battle with the two, twirling her weapons to block or deflect their attacks, occasionally spinning and dancing around them along with attacking them with her kicks.

While she held the two down, Roman tossed her cane up, catching it at the end to press a button that caused the head of it to pop off and launch at Little Fall.

The hooded clad figure seemed to sense the incoming safety line headed their way and quickly launched a powerful sidekick at Blake's midsection that she blocked, but was still thrown back against a wall of cargo upon impact, her head bouncing against it.

The space between the two gave the Beowulf impersonator enough wiggle room as they caught the head of Roman's cane and allowed him to pull them away and back toward Neo.

The silent girl realized what the other two's intention were, and quickly bent over backwards right as Little Fall flew right over her, and gave a harsh kick to Weiss and throwing her back against another wall of cargo as Neo flipped away. Yang charged in with a cry, intent on punching the newcomer in the face, only for them to bend forward and have Neo roll over their back, jabbing harshly with her umbrella and causing Yang to fly back against the same wall of cargo

Right at that moment, Roman glanced over to his team of White Fang members who were waving wildly at him, gesturing that they managed to hook up all the cargo. "Alright! Well this was fun and we really did enjoy this endeavor. But now it's time for good girls and boys to go home." He announced, causing him and his associate to fall back.

"Wait! You can't-" Blake called out, shaking her head in order for her to grab her bearings once again while stumbling after them, attempting to follow. Neo quickly blocked her path though, as she spun around throwing kicks, and slashing with her sword at the student and caused Blake to flip away from the threat.

Neo's attacks caused Blake to frown in thought, the fluidity of Neo's movements and the way she seemingly danced with her kicks and slashes only served to be another reminder to how Ruby fought. Right now though, was not the time to think or wonder about it. Glancing around, wondering what happened to her friends, she found them lying against some of the cargo, battered and beat. Letting out a growl, Blake glared at the petite lady, her body tensing up in anger.

Neo quickly sheathed her sword, resting her umbrella on her shoulder before twirling it with a smirk on her face.

A sudden image of Ruby's smirk made itself known in Blake's mind, but she was snapped out of it as Neo suddenly bowed mockingly at her. Angered, Blake let out a mighty war cry as she charged forth and slashed at her new opponent.

She didn't have time to be satisfied at her hit making connection though, as her opponent seemingly shattered right before her.

Blake frantically looked around, trying to find where Neo could have gone, only to see the droid having been blown and nearly slashed to bits. The Beowulf impersonator was standing on top of the droid, pulling out two hatchets (most likely taken from members of the White Fang) that had been embedded in the droid's neck while Roman stood at the opening of a flying airship, the end of his cane slightly smoking assumedly from constant firing shots. Neo stood in the second ship that was beginning to hover in the air with a pleased smile as the last few remaining members of the White Fang scurried back to the last ship.

Blake let out a frustrated cry as she allowed her sword to fold in, raising her gun up to fire at the last few stragglers, hoping she could at least stop a few members from going back to that terrible organization.

Little Fall seemed to have noticed what Blake was about to do, as they sprinted over to the remaining members, putting themselves in between the bullets and the White Fang, quickly spinning their hatchets to deflect the attacks.

The figure quickly gestured for the members to continue back on the ship and for them to take off as she held her ground to hold Blake off of them.

Quickly, the remaining members complied as Blake frustratingly charged at the figure, initiating combat with them once again.

The cloaked person easily deflected and evaded all of her attacks, seemingly undeterred at her quick slashes and use of semblance while throwing powerful kicks at her.

Their constant evasion, their seemingly loose body, the way they quickly danced out of harm's way only to deal it toward Blake, and their ever permanent smirk formed at the side of their mouth aggravated Blake to no end, and it only caused her anger to be fueled and motivated her attacks. At the same time, Blake couldn't help but think about how similar this person's fighting style was to Ruby's. Again.

It was distracting, and it was not something Blake could afford for.

Even being completely focused didn't seem to matter though, as when the ship was in the air, the figure seemed to have enough of being involved in combat as they twisted and danced around Blake. Ending the fight by dealing a harsh blow at her back with the blunt edges of their hatchets, causing her to collapse.

Disabling Blake seemed enough for the person as they left her on the ground and quickly made their toward the cargo that was about to be lifted by the last ship, jumping on top of it and holding onto the leash to steady themselves as all three ships were ready to leave

At that moment though, Yang slowly opened her eyes and saw Blake lying on the floor, groaning as she tried to stagger back onto her hands and feet. Weiss groaned by her side, slowly lifting herself back up onto her feet while using her sword as support.

They had lost.

Not only that, - those three had been played with and seemingly easily disposed of. The three of them had tried so hard to put a stop to the operation, but to no avail though. And this… This made Yang angry.

Eyes blinked red in fury as she glared up at the ships, hurriedly climbing up to her feet as she ran as close as she could and in range, throwing her fists back to let the shotguns in her gauntlets click to their next round, and threw a punch into the air before her, firing up at the last airship.

The pilot saw the incoming attack and jerked the ship up out of fear, thereby causing the attack to hit the side of the cargo that Little Fall had been standing on. The impact of the shot caused it to start swinging and made the Beowulf clad person to slip right off. Their hold on the leash prevented them from falling, but as they didn't have enough friction from the side of the cargo and it was still swinging, they were left struggling to keep a hold onto the leash.

Looking up, Weiss saw the figure struggle and forced herself to stand up straight, running up next to Yang at the same time as Blake. "If we can get that delinquent to fall, we can turn them into the police for questioning!" She announced, pointing to them.

Yang and Blake nodded in agreement and began firing at the cargo, as Weiss spun her dust cartridges to fire blades of wind at it, causing it to swing more and more.

The members on the other airship were panicking, shouting and gesturing for their coworkers to peek down at their cargo. Upon doing so, the dozen members on the airship that was carrying Little Fall, all ran around the hatch in search of something, presumably rope, to help the flailing person.

Roman and Neo were not fairing any better, as the former was shouting at everyone. They all held their guns out, pointing to the three students, but all their guns seemed to have empty rounds.

Finally, one of the shots from the three had managed to cut one of the four leashes carrying the cargo. The sudden drop seemed to cause the figure to let go of the leash with one hand out due to the jolt and muscle spasm from the force of it.

"They're about to fall! Keep going!" Weiss commanded as the three girls redoubled their efforts.

The strain of holding themselves up for so long seemed to be getting too much for the figure, as their grip on the leash was slowly slackening, and only their fingers were holding on.

Just when it seemed like the three would be able to succeed though, a small rain of arrows quickly descended down on them, causing them all to jump or flip back and away from the attacks. Looking up, they found a small jet approaching around the airship, slowly descending to block their path from the swinging cargo. They didn't have time to get a closer look inside the jet though, as the ship's guns quickly began firing at them, causing them to jump and flip further back. By the time it stopped and they were able to look back up once more, Yang and Weiss found that they were too far from the ship and that it was too dark to see. As a Faunus though, Blake was able to see in the dark. She couldn't tell who else was on board, as they were hidden off at the side of the doors, but she did see that the Grimm cladded figure had already climbed aboard.

"Dammit!" She cursed, "Our hostage is getting away."

Yang growled, about to charge forward and attempt to shoot at them again, but was stopped by Weiss.

"We can't, they might shoot at us again." She advised.

Blake let out a frustrated sigh, "She's right. We can't r-" she paused short as she saw something familiar in the jet.

The Grimm figure was standing in the center, happily thanking their saviors before something red was thrown their way. They excitedly jumped as they unfurled the article, and revealed a familiar sleeveless red jacket right before the door closed and all the ships took off.

All of a sudden, Blake remembered all the thoughts that bubbled up in her mind during the battle. About how similar their opponent's fighting styles were to Ruby's, occasionally looking exactly the same, and how those thoughts had distracted her.

The sight of the red jacket though, made Blake think of something.

Maybe… Maybe that person was Ruby.

And Roman and Neo was her family.

It would make sense! The way those two fought had been similar to Ruby's own fighting style! The tactics Roman had employed by distracting his opponent with one attack, only to use a completely different one. The fluidity and grace of Neo's evasion and kicks were similar to the way Ruby would dance around. Roman's flourish handling of his weapon had reminded Blake of the way Ruby would with hers. And their smirks… All of their mocking smirks were the same.

The shared name of "Fall"…

"Blake? What is it?" Weiss asked, shaking Blake out of her thoughts

"I was just… thinking about how similar that person fought like Ruby." Blake stated as the sound of police sirens came closer and closer.

Weiss and Yang looked at her confused.

"You mean the delinquent that was dressed as a Beowulf?" Weiss asked, garnering a nod. The heiress gave a light scoff, "I hardly think so. While Ruby does occasionally fight using odd methods, the delinquent had not fought fairly and used all sorts of cheap tricks from what I could tell."

Yang shrugged, "I don't know, I didn't get to have a shot with the guy until they were hanging."

Blake frowned, "But… It was!" She tried persuading, "It was almost exactly the same."

"Blake," Weiss stated with her arms crossed, "Might I ask what exactly it is that you are trying to suggest?"

"I think that person and Ruby might be the same person." Blake confessed in a whisper right as the cops, and news reporters pulled up.

Yang and Weiss could only glance at each other as the police officers ran up to them for questioning.

Weiss merely threw a side look at Blake, her eyes communicating that they would talk about her concerns later.

* * *

 

"I'm so glad you guys came when you did!" Ruby happily proclaimed as she changed back into her usual sleeveless red coat. "I thought I was in trouble for a moment there!" She stated, pulling her mask off and shaking her hair out.

"You need to be more careful!" Emerald admonished with a growl, shoving Ruby's swords into her arms. "What would you have done if they managed to catch you?"

Ruby merely shrugged, placing her swords back into their rightful place at the back of her hips. "Probably be shocked." She stated before a mischievous smirk appeared on her face. "I mean, they were my teammates, so if they caught me they would have been in for a surprised."

Before Emerald could admonish her any further, Ruby continued on. "Besides, Neo would have saved me if I fell. See, with her umbrella, she can sort of float around if she has wind dust so-"

"Ruby." Cinder sighed, interrupting her rambling.

At her sister's tone, one that Ruby was all too familiar with, she quickly sagged and dropped her head. "You're right. I'm sorry for worrying you guys. I'll try to be more careful next time." She said, guiltily toeing the ground with the tip of her shoe.

Cinder nodded in acknowledgement of Ruby's apology before gently pulling her into a hug, tucking her little sister's head under her chin and lightly running her finger's through her hair. "Thank you, that's all we ask." She said, "But all that matters right now though is that you're safe with us."

Ruby nodded as she brought her hands up to return the hug, snuggling deeper into her sister's embrace. "I missed you guys." She stated

"We missed you too." Cinder replied affectionately.

"Yeah!" Mercury called out from the pilot's seat, "It was no fun without you home! There was no one there for me to laugh at Emerald with and there weren't any more pranks being pulled on everyone! It was soooooo boring!"

Emerald growled, "Speak for yourself, I didn't miss those stunts you pulled at all." She stated, before her voice soften. "But I… did miss you. It doesn't feel right when you aren't there to pester me or rope me in to do something with you."

Ruby turned away from her sister, shock plastered itself all over her face as her mouth opened and closed stupidly like a fish. Cinder also looked rather surprised at Emerald's confession knowing fully well that the teen had trouble connecting and verbally stating her emotions.

Before long, a large grin overtook Ruby's face, causing Emerald to let out a groan, "REALLY?! YOU MISSED ME?!" Ruby asked happily, "OH MY GOSH! I KNEW YOU LOVED ME!" She announced, letting go of Cinder and eagerly jumping up to Emerald so she could latch herself onto the red-eyed teen's arm.

"Oh God, I regret saying anything at all…" Emerald groaned out.

"But you LOOOOVE me!" Ruby drawled out, snuggling her cheek against tan skin

"Ugh! You're such a creep! Get off of me!" Emerald growled, waving her arm in attempt to shake Ruby off.

"Don't listen to her Ruby! She was all mopey without you around, so she missed you a lot!" Mercury stated

"No I wasn't! No I didn't!" Emerald denied as Ruby cooed at her

"D'awww! It's okay Emerald! I missed you too and I love you just as much!"

"Mustn't be that much love since I don't hold the same feelings for you at all." Emerald deadpanned.

Ruby merely smiled before leaning up and placing a quick kiss on Emerald's cheek, garnering a blanch and a shout of protest, before letting go and bouncing back into an amused Cinder's arms.

"Hey! Where's my hug and kiss?" Mercury complained.

"You're driving stupid." Emerald claimed. "Besides, who in their right mind would want to kiss your ugly mug?"

"It's okay Merc, I'll give you one when we land!" Ruby smiled, turning around so her back was pressed against her sister's front and held her arm's that were still wrapped around her in place.

Ruby missed her sister's warm hugs, and had gotten use to receiving at least three of them on a daily basis. She could tell that her sister missed her hugs just as much, if not more, especially when Ruby could easily remember all the times Cinder would demand for one for whatever silly excuse she could think of. "I need a hug for good luck", "Ruby, take my stress away", "It's cold", "After meal hugs help digest food", "Share some of your happiness", "In Mistral, hugs are a way to greet people", and whatever other reason Cinder could keep up with. Ruby didn't mind, in fact she loved it and would occasionally do the same to her big sister (though, she must confess that she is not as creative as her). The lack of hugs they had been receiving from each other for the past two months therefore meant that the sisters had two whole months of hugs to make up for.

And although she didn't give everyone else in the house nearly as many hugs, she still gave (or forced) a hug at least once a week.

"You better." Mercury jokingly threatened. "But tell us, how did your team end up getting the drop on you? I would think you would know them well enough and how they fight by now. And you even had Neo with you, so you should have had the upper hand. "

Ruby pouted, "We were working against time here. The police were on their way so we had to buy the other members some time. Then, the security spider droid got activated, and there was only one team working to secure the cargo. And I didn't have my babies with me!" She whined, burying her head into Cinder's arms.

"…Babies?" Mercury asked, his voice taking a slightly dangerous tone.

"She's talking about her weapons." Emerald stated, rolling her eyes.

"Oh! Right." Mercury nodded in understanding.

"And then!" Ruby continued in her complaints, "I only had that Scythe you guys gave me, and it broke!" she wailed

"Aw. Don't you worry about that little flower," Cinder cooed, tightening her hug comfortingly around Ruby. "We can always get you another one."

Ruby stayed silent, which concerned Cinder. A silent Ruby was never a good sign. Cinder looked back up at Emerald, catching her eye in question. Emerald merely mimicked Ruby's expression, her eyebrows lightly furrowed and her lips twisting off to the side, a look of contemplation and a sign that she didn't hear Cinder at all.

"Ruby?" Cinder asked, trying to shake Ruby out of her thoughts. Instead of doing that though, the call of her name seemed to only remind her that she should share her thoughts.

"Maybe if I can build myself a scythe that won't break, and one that would actually work in a fight… I won't have to worry about it at all." Ruby mumbled, "But it doesn't make sense for me to carry three weapons and I love Crescent Fall and Autumn Moon too much to put them away. Oh, but maybe if I can upgrade them to turn into a scythe… but how would that work? I could try… No, that won't work. But then if I… Yes. Maybe. I'll have to remodel this and maybe I could ask some help from my teacher to get better and more accurate calculations and…" She began rambling, causing the other three members on the ship to roll their eyes affectionately at her.

"God, you are such a dork." Emerald claimed, breaking Ruby out of her ramblings and to spit her tongue at the older teen, a gesture that Emerald kindly returned as the jet landed.

Mercury killed the engine before he and Emerald quickly opened the doors and hopped out. Ruby tried to follow suit, but found that Cinder wouldn't let go.

"Cinder!" Ruby whined, struggling to get out of her sister's embrace, "Let go! We need to tell everyone good job and all that good stuff they deserve!"

Cinder merely stayed silent for a moment, unmoving, until she slowly began to sink her weight over Ruby's shoulders.

At the first sign of extra weight pushing her down, Ruby's eyes widened in realization, knowing fully well what Cinder was about to do. "NO! NO DON'T DO IT!" Ruby cried, trying her best to move forward and escape from her sister, something that would be impossible seeing as Cinder still had her arms wrapped around Ruby and only causing her to slightly drag the older woman a mere inch.

"But Ruby, I'm so tired." Cinder dramatically sighed, sinking more of her weight onto her little sister as she did so, "All that work I had to do to save you? I'm all tuckered out, so you have no other choice…you have to carry me."

"Carry yourself you big fatty! You're too heavy for me!" Ruby retorted, her body slowly giving out with her knees nearly touching the ground as she slowly approached the door.

"But Ruby," Cinder sighed again, causing the rest of her weight to be pressed onto Ruby's shoulders. "You simply must."

At the end of that statement, Ruby flopped onto the ground, unable to hold all that extra weight any longer. "AGH! Get off of me, sis!" Ruby groaned, her hands and legs flailing onto the floor of the jet.

"I can't." Her older sister deadpanned, "I'm too tired and I just don't have the energy to do what you ask."

"You barely did anything!" Ruby protested, "You fired like, 3 arrows!"

Cinder merely hummed, folding her arms together and resting them on top of Ruby's upper back. "More like 3 dozen."

"Bah! I've seen you fire more and not even break a sweat!" Ruby accused, her head trying to rise up and her eyes rolling to the top in an attempt to make eye contact with her sister.

The older woman let out another dramatic sigh, resting her head against the back of her younger sister's, "But I was so stressed and concerned for your well being, I'm just exhausted now. You have no choice but to carry me."

"I can't do that! You're too heavy!" Ruby stated, "Besides, we're on the floor now!"

"Well, I absolutely have no qualms against having you crawl." Cinder cheekily stated, raising her head to look down at the back of Ruby's head in amusement, "Why, you could be my royal carriage, or my royal steed. Either way works as long as you take me to whatever destination I have in mind, treating me like the royalty I really am."

"Well you're a royal pain!" Ruby groaned, plopping her face into the floor as Roman, Neo, Mercury, and Emerald all came by and watched in amusement while the entire groups of the White Fang tried to peer over them to see what was going on, making sure they were keeping a good dozen feet away from their bosses.

"Hm, you're lucky you're my sister and I love you," Cinder commented. "Otherwise I would have you persecuted on the spot for the insubordination you have just displayed to your superior."

"You're superior alright, a superior pain in the butt." Ruby deadpanned into the floor.

Her comeback caused Roman, Mercury, Emerald, and Neo to snort. The White Fang members that heard her were all shocked into silence at someone, even her sister, daring to speak to Cinder like that. But they were shocked out of their fear as the former four were overcome with laughter, giggles, and chuckles.

The happiness displayed by the household bewildered the rest of the White Fang, but before long, the tense mood was suddenly released, replaced with a light feeling of warmth amongst them.

"You should watch your tongue, little girl," Cinder lightly threatened. "I still know exactly where your weak spots are and I'm not above using such tactics."

Ruby gasped, fully understanding what Cinder had meant, and immediately began squirming, shouting in protest. "No! You can't do that! That's cheating!"

"All is fair in love and war." Cinder drawled, "We commend you for your vigilance soldier, but for you continued wrongs against your leader, I have no choice but to prosecute you."

"No! No! No!" Ruby protested, still trying her best to escape against her sister's clutches. "You guys! Help!" She pleaded, looking up at Roman, Neo, Emerald, and Mercury.

"Hm… I don't know Red." Roman hummed, tapping a finger against his chin in thought. "You did kind of slander our leader." He said with a mischievous grin, Neo nodding along with him and holding a similar expression.

"In fact, we would be remiss in not supporting her in this decision. Right Em?" Mercury chipped.

"I get her feet." Emerald proclaimed, jumping up onto the jet and scurrying over to Ruby's feet and holding them together by her ankles with one hand. Quickly, she began to pry off the little girl's boots.

Ruby began to redouble her efforts, struggling to break free as she began screaming. "TRAITORS!" in protest.

Her pleas went unheard of though, as Mercury raised his hand next, "I'll hold her hands down!" He volunteered, grabbing hold of both Ruby's hands and holding them above her head and out of the door.

"My-my," Roman claimed, plucking the feather off his hat. "I suppose that leaves me to deal with her neck."

Cinder merely sat up, climbing onto Ruby's upper back to give room for Neo to sit on Ruby's lower back. To give themselves more space, Neo pressed her back against Cinder's.

"Ready?" The esteemed leader asked

"No! I take it back! I take it back!" Ruby protested

"Hm. Too late." Cinder stated.

And all at once, the five began wiggling their fingers or feather at each tickle spot they knew on Ruby, causing her to squeal in laughter and protest as the rest of the White Fang watched in amusement.

Before long, chuckles began to reverberate amongst them and wide, happy smiles graced the small happy household.

Ruby was home and everything was all right now.


	8. Provenance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! PLEASE READ
> 
> This chapter has mentions of; abuse (both physical and mental), as well as negligence. If you don't believe you can or are hesitant to go on and read, but would still like to know what the chapter is about - please do not hesitate to message me here, on Fanfiction Net or even tumblr (I have the same Username) to do so. I will be more than happy to provide you with information or a summary of this chapter.

Cinder looked around in the dark abyss surrounding her. Her glass heels clicked with each step despite no floor being set in sight. As she kept walking, gray, shadowy figures surfaced ahead of her, sliding off to the side when she got close to them to create a path. Passing by each figure, they would hiss something at her before dispersing into the air.

"You're done here. Take your money and leave."

"Alright kid, here's your money. Now beat it."

"Scram!"

"Go away, I don't got work for you."

"Try again next time."

"Oh, You're still here?"

"What do you want? There's nothing here for you!"

Each one would tell her its' own variation for her to leave, sometimes with money, but other times there were no context for her unwanted presence. She would oblige by continuously walking. To where though? She did not know. There was nowhere for her to go, no light around for her to see where she was going.

She was alone.

A figure formed in front of her, this time more solid and familiar than all the others, and the sight of Roman caused her to stop.

"Your eyes…" He said, his voice young and raspy as though he were in pain. "They look like mine."

Cinder looked into his dark green eyes; dull, filled with emptiness, and no sense of ambition, but they were not like hers. His eyes were missing other components that she held.

Loneliness.

The thought made another figure form beside him; shorter, skinnier, more feminine, with eyes that would change colors at each blink, but filled with the same dullness and emptiness as his.

Roman had someone; he had his sister to help him make it through his existence. And Neo had him.

Their eyes looked nothing like Cinder's.

With that thought, their shadowy figures dispersed into the air at the same time white snow began to gently fall.

The clicking of her heels slowly turned into the crunching of snow, and once again, she walked in solitude without any shadowy presences forming before her.

But… There was something missing…

She continued walking through the empty cold regardless of the feeling. The snow seemed to fall just as slowly as each step she took. There didn't seem to be any presence of wind as each snowflake fell unperturbed. But, like the shadowy figures from before, each snowflake parted around her, avoiding her.

The sound of joyful giggling broke the silence, causing Cinder's head to snap up and her eyes to focus. She stopped walking, turning her head, whipping it around and twisting her body to find the source of happiness.

Nothing.

More laughter was heard though, echoing and reverberating through the vast emptiness. When finally…

"C'mon sis! Catch me if you can!"

Cinder turned toward the direction of the sound, eyes locking in on a little girl running toward her with a joyful look in her silver eyes that were filled with mirth with her red cloak was trailing behind her.

Cinder's stoic demeanor loosened, allowing a small smile to form on her face as she bent down to catch the girl.

Only for her to pass right through Cinder's body.

Her smile slowly fell. Just as slowly, she straightened back up to stand and slowly turned around.

The little red-cloaked girl continued giggling as she ran and turned her head back, "C'mon slowpoke!"

Cinder tried to run after, but she found her feet frozen in place. She panicked, about to call after the girl to wait, but in its place another voice, not her own, came forth.

"Wait for me Ruby!" The new voice called out.

Cinder tried to turn her head to find the owner of the voice, but felt their presence instead.

A small shadowy and child-like figure passed through Cinder's body and caused a cold feeling to spread through Cinder as it did so. The shadow chased after Ruby with giggles.

"You'll never catch me sis!" Ruby proclaimed as she continued running.

"Just you wait! I'll get you!" The shadow declared, getting closer and closer to Ruby and causing her to joyfully squeal.

Horrified, Cinder tried to call out for Ruby, to tell her that no. That thing isn't her sister. To call out and tell her that Cinder was right there and please not to leave her. To wait, to come back, that Cinder was her sister, _oh God please don't abandon her._

But Ruby continued running away, getting further and further away from Cinder. And with each step, the ice that had formed around her feet spread further up her body.

Until finally, only the cold surrounded Cinder, the ice taking hold of her body to keep it in place, and became her only company.

* * *

Cinder woke with an abrupt start and cold sweat. The fear had still held its' place around her heart, causing it to wildly beat against her chest. Grabbing hold of her surroundings, Cinder slowly began to calm down.

It was just a dream.

She gave a heavy sigh of relief as she repeated the thought to herself.

It was just a dream.

Cinder closed her eyes, intent on just relaxing as she reached out across the bed hoping to hug the source of causing her fears to help allay them. Only to find the space empty and devoid of any person, even the space there was no longer warm.

Her eyes shot open once again, fear gripping at her heart, and panic seeping into her mind causing questions and thoughts of Ruby leaving her to fire across.

She sat up, hoping that Ruby would be somewhere in the room at least. Scanning her eyes across the vast bedchambers though, she found no sign of her little sister. She strained her ears, thinking that Ruby might be in the en suite getting ready for the day.

Instead… she heard the familiar sounds of her giggling along with snickering outside in the hallway, causing relief to spread through her once again.

Though, it was short lived as a throbbing headache made itself known, reminding her that if she's awake, then she would suffer until she would consume a caffeinated substance to help her get through the day.

Another round of giggling was heard, this time with a shushing sound.

… She should also check on her mischievous sister to ensure she wasn't doing something horrendous. With a groan, Cinder groggily climbed out of bed, dragging her feet across the cold wooden floors. She gently pushed open her bedroom door and stumbled into the hallway. Upon turning, the familiar sight of her little sister in her pajamas, a light brown onesie that had a white stomach and a teddy bear face and ears on the hood that Neo and Cinder had given her, made Cinder quirk a small smile. Her smile quickly turned into a small, suspicious, frown though when she noticed Ruby and a still pajama clad Mercury wearing sweat shorts, revealing both of his prosthetic legs, and a white t-shirt, peeking into Emeralds room while giggling and snickering.

Cinder glanced down at Mercury's prosthetics. Noting that they had just recently been cleaned and finely tuned, something he had been forgetting and avoiding to do regularly the past few months, a product of Ruby not being around to help or watch him do so.

She glanced back up at his face, eyes twinkling with mirth and amusement, things that had been severely lacking during the past weeks and were replaced with quiet, cold anger that was ready to be released at any given moment. His quick snaps would be swiftly followed with him looming over anyone who fueled his ire, his body tense and ready to lash out, itching to look for a fight.

It was very similar to how he was when Cinder had first brought him in.

She had found him when he still had his organic legs, in the midst of a fight with his father, a notorious assassin that Cinder had wanted to recruit. His father had been drunk and angry for whatever reason, and he wanted to beat his son black and blue. Something that was a usual occurrence apparently, but this time Mercury had decided to fight back for once, to protect himself. He was just a mere boy, just at the age of 12, barely even a teen. Yet, he already had to fight in order to protect himself, and he was actually good at it. He had the upper hand in his fight against his father, and Cinder was certain that had she not arrived when she did and put a halt to the fight, he would have killed him.

In a battle against a top assassin, that was definitely impressive.

So, instead of asking Mercury's father if he could join her, she asked the assassin… for Mercury. And although he knew the answer to the question, Mercury still looked devastated when he heard his father agree to cast him off.

On the journey back home, he had been quiet, always quick to snap whenever Cinder tried to question him, causing her to tell him exactly what his place was and who she was.

"Tch… moved from a son of a bitch to one…" Mercury had muttered after taking his head out of her grasp.

Cinder decided to let his comment slide though, as she understood his frustration (though she did not appreciate it). Upon returning to and leaving him alone at the base after showing him around and explaining her expectations for him, he had started multiple fights with other members of the organization, more street thugs that Cinder had picked up here and there, within the first day. His explanation was that he had been "minding his own business" and the other members had begun bothering him. She tried to tell him that he couldn't do that, but after a week of him fighting the other members, it was evident that he would not be able to live amongst them.

So she brought him back to her home she had shared with Roman, Neo, and Emerald, with hopes that the solitude there would be able to calm him.

Mercury had thought that it was punishment though, thinking that Cinder simply wanted to keep him in check and on a short leash.

Entering the house though, the first sight that greeted him was a little kid joyfully giggling and clapping her hands at something, sitting in front of a tan skinned teen who had a small smile on her face.

Upon seeing Cinder arrive, the teen stopped whatever she was doing and snapped to attention while the kid broke out of her trance with a small pout. An expression that quickly disappeared once she saw Cinder though, and broke into a wide grin as she scrambled up to her feet and ran up to Cinder, jumping into her open arms.

It was the first time Mercury had ever seen such an earnest smile on his boss's face.

Cinder introduced him to Emerald and her younger sister Ruby, whom she had left at the house and for Emerald to babysit, telling them that he would be staying at the house to prevent him from causing more trouble at base, leaving it at just that. No other formalities or offers were said to make him comfortable.

Ruby, on the other hand, still only 8 years old at that time, had made his welcoming and comforts a personal duty. She quickly began firing off a slew of questions, asking him where he came from, how Cinder found him, how old was he, what's his special ability, and any other questions.

Her curiosity had greatly annoyed him, and he snapped, telling her to shut up and beat it.

A reaction that was not taken well as it caused Ruby to tear up and pout. Before he could even feel satisfied though, Cinder had grabbed hold of his neck and threatened him to not hurt her sister. Ruby quickly tried to get Cinder to stop and let go, telling her that she was fine. Cinder had reluctantly complied, but had still glared at him.

After that, he learned that it would simply be best for him to just humor Ruby if she ever came up to him.

Which was… a lot.

She would always pop up around him, wanting to engage him in conversation or games, and he would begrudgingly participate. After a while though, she asked him if he was having fun.

"It doesn't look like you are…" Ruby confessed while fiddling with the Legos she had brought to him.

He hesitated, unsure of how to answer because, this was his boss's sister. He couldn't make her sad, otherwise Cinder would know.

"It's okay if you say you're not." Ruby said, "I know you're scared of sis and you don't want to hurt me because sis would hurt you. But if you're hurting and don't want to play with me, that's okay. You can tell me."

So he told her the truth, that he didn't like her, or anyone in the house. That he just wanted to be left alone.

Ruby looked hurt, but she left him alone after that and never bothered him again.

Until he lost his legs

Cinder had brought him and Emerald to help her fight someone. Someone who was special that would take more than just brute force to fight. And while they eventually won, he had lost his legs in the process.

Emerald had to steal a cart to place him in so they could rush him to a nearby hospital after. She had claimed that he was her brother and they were running errands when an Ursa came out of nowhere and attacked. He was quickly seen to and his wounds were stitched closed. After a near week had passed and there were no more threats to his life or injuries reopening, Cinder and Emerald had him transferred to the small clinic at base so their doctors could keep watch over him. The two left him immediately after though, leaving him to his solitude.

Once he was settled and wired, Ruby had rushed in to visit him, face full of worry and concern.

He wasn't use to that.

To his further astonishment, Ruby cried for him immediately after seeing his condition and hugged him. He didn't know why.

"Because you're hurt and you almost died!" She sobbed, leaning back as she tried her best to rub her tears and snot off her face. "And I was so scared when Cinder told me, but you don't even care that you got hurt!

"Why?" He asked confused, "I messed up, and I lost my legs. If I weren't so worthless and had done it right from the start, I wouldn't have lost them." He stated plainly, as though reciting from memory.

His father had always yelled how useless he was as he was being beaten, yelling about how worthless he was because he could never do anything right. And he had thought about how right his father had been.

He was useless and worthless now without his legs.

"Don't say that!" Ruby cried, "It wasn't your fault! It was that big meanie's! So you're not worthless! You're not!"

"But I-" Mercury started. He didn't have his legs now… he wouldn't even be able to move around without assistance.

"And if you're not going to cry or believe me, then I'll do it for you!" She proclaimed, hiccupping in between her words as she buried herself into the crook of his neck again.

At her statement, something stirred in Mercury's chest and his eyes began to sting while something lodged itself in his throat, but he didn't know why. This never happened to him before. All he knew was that he couldn't stand the sight of Ruby crying so much, and he just wanted her to stop, but he didn't know why. And he didn't like that he didn't know why, which made him angry because he didn't like not understanding what was going on.

"Don't do that." He started, gritting his teeth and gripping his sheets. "Stop it! Just stop it!" He angrily said trying to shrug her off.

But Ruby only sobbed and hugged him harder.

"Shut up! GET OFF ME!" He yelled as his tears finally fell, bringing his arms up with all intents to push her off him. But his arms wouldn't listen, and instead, they tightly wrapped around the little crying girl.

"I don't understand why you're doing this." He harshly sobbed, causing his body to shake. "I'm not special, I'm worthless, useless." He repeated, hearing his father still screaming at him in his drunken rage.

Ruby merely shook her head, sobbing harder, "You're wrong. You're wrong." She repeated.

Her reaffirmation that he wasn't anything his father said he was only made Mercury sob more. In relief, happiness, comfort, confusion, or a mix of his emotions, he didn't know.

There was still a question in mind though, if he wasn't anything his father said he was… what was he then?

After they had cried their eyes out, they ended up falling asleep cuddling, Ruby gripping his shirt as though making sure he wasn't going anywhere, and Mercury's arms wrapped around her in security.

In the morning, he was woken up with a small stack of paper smacking him in the face, tossed by Cinder. He looked at them in confusion as Cinder explained it to him.

"Those are orders for mechanical, prosthetic legs to be built for you. They should be finished in two weeks time and I expect you to make a full recovery and be in full working order by two months time." Cinder stated

Mercury frowned, flipping through the pages and realizing that they would be built with top of the line products. It was way more than he could hope for, and it was a lot more than he felt he deserved to be treated with. "But… why?" He asked.

"We make sure to take care of each other here," Cinder replied, gathering Ruby into her arms to take home. "As long as you can prove yourself to me, you don't have to worry about feeling useless ever again.

Mercury was shocked silent, still starring at the blueprints for his legs as silent tears fell. Whether those tears fell from gratitude, having a purpose in his life, or from the emotions running last night, he didn't know. "Thank you. I… This means- Thank you."

Cinder merely waved him off before leaving.

After, he worked himself hard in order to make a full recovery and Ruby would ensure to visit him every other day, something he began to look forward to. She would always be sure to sneak in snacks for him to eat, bring games to play, and books for him to read every visit. And every time he did something she thought was amazing, she would always praise him in wonder, things he began to seek for, as his chest would swell with pride.

Over time, he simply just cared for her, loving her as though she were the family he never had, the little sister that would always look up to him in amazement no matter what he did, and he wanted to keep it that way. Her constant belief in him and encouragement was what pushed him and helped him through his pain. The pain he didn't even know he could feel after being beaten constantly for so long. And when the doctors had to connect his nerves to his mechanical legs, he was able to grit his teeth and bare it, because he knew Ruby was in the next room over and if he let out a yell she would worry more than she already had been. So he began to do almost anything and everything she asked to spend time with her, ensuring that she was always happy.

That her smile and warmth would never disappear

Because of that, he began to loosen up, always looking for an opportunity for amusement and laughter, willing to pull jokes and pranks, and becoming much more chatty than before.

A feature that was not evident after Cinder asked him and Ruby a question of, "What are the two of you up to?" causing the both of them to snap up to attention and feigning nonchalance.

"Nothing!" Mercury said

"We weren't doing anything sis! Honest!" Ruby tried

Cinder stared at them, causing the two to fidget under her gaze.

"I'll go get started on making some coffee!" Mercury announced, quickly scurrying away.

"I'll help!" Ruby proclaimed, zooming after him with a giggle and causing him to snicker as they both quietly ran down the stairs.

Cinder decided to leave it at that, as the statement and promise of coffee distracted her and lured her away from the subject, slowly following the two to the kitchen while dragging her feet.

Swaying dangerously down the wooden stairs, she continued treading through and across the living room, then the family room, through the dining room, and to the open bar. She slowly eased herself onto the high chair, and lowered her upper body on the bar as she held her head in her hands. The smell of coffee being brewed invaded her nose and made her sigh and relax her body in contentment.

Ruby snickered at the sight, "I almost forgot that you can't function without coffee." She teased from the kitchen side, leaning over the open bar to lightly bop her sister on the nose

The action caused Cinder to frown and wrinkle her nose for a bit as though to shake the feeling off. "I function better than you do when you haven't had strawberries or cookies." She smirked

"She's got you there, Squirt." Mercury gestured toward Ruby with a hand and leaning back on the bar as well. "I remember the last time you didn't have either one of them for a whole day, you were all jittery and nervous, you even got irritated at us! I didn't even know that was possible until that happened. You have a problem."

"No I don't!" Ruby denied, "I don't know what you guys are talking about! I was fine! Totally fine! You want to know why? Because that never happened." She huffed, sticking her nose in the air.

"Oh. If that's the case, I suppose you won't have any problem with knowing that we don't have either in stock." Cinder hummed

Ruby gasped, "You're lying! That's not true! It can't be true! We **need** to have them!"

"Need?" Mercury quoted.

"Yes Mercury, _**need**_!" Ruby hissed

"I do believe, dearest sister, that Mercury was correct." Cinder said, "You have a problem."

"No I don't!" Ruby continued denying, "If anyone here has a problem it's-"

A sudden screech of "RUUUUBY!" rang through the house as the sounds akin to a stampede followed after along with a door slamming open and more stomping. Each sound made Cinder wince and groan as they made her headache worse.

Finally, only the sounds of angry huffs were left. When Cinder turned her head, she was greeted with the sight of Emerald covered in shaving cream from the top of her head to her stomach, with feathers sticking out of from her hair and on her body. Her eyes were a lot more red than usual, emphasized by her heated glare.

Mercury and Ruby were trying to hold back their snickers, and failing admirably so.

"What the HELL is this?!" Emerald demanded.

Ruby snickered, leaning against Mercury as he did the same to her. "Looks like… you got to shave off some feathers." She stated, causing another round of loud snickering to occur between her and Mercury

Emerald let out a growl, her fists shaking as she began a round of reprimands at the two. Though not out of rage, just annoyance at the two for pulling such a stunt on her.

Seeing her like this, it was difficult to remember that when Emerald had first been recruited, she had actually been quieter and skittish, always afraid to speak her mind and had difficulty processing her emotions.

That can happen when one had been placed and raised in a bad orphanage. The supervisor had been horrendous, putting the children in the orphanage to work and holding them all to high expectations, as it was only natural. Yet never bothering to give any of them the time of day. Food was scarce in the orphanage as well; it wasn't uncommon for each child to get one meal a day, as the orphanage was over-crowded, and not well funded. That meant nothing to the supervisor though if there was a particular child that wasn't liked, the supervisor would not even bothering to give the child that one meal.

This was a normal occurrence for Emerald as her looks were exotic and her semblance had been unlocked early on. The supervisor had thought her a witch, a freak of nature, and was sure to let Emerald know during her every waking moment. Even all of the other children didn't want anything to do with Emerald, and as children, they typically would follow the role of the adult they were under the care of and call her names as well or avoid her. Some children, the supervisor's favorites, would unload their chores onto Emerald for her to do, threatening to tell on her if she didn't do so as the supervisor would believe them and not her. After the feeling of constant hunger, the lack of interaction, and tiresome work, Emerald had finally had enough, and ran away from the orphanage at the tender age of 11.

She began wandering the streets and although now she had not been experienced in the art of thievery, she had much better luck obtaining and had eaten more food during the first week than she had regularly eaten in that time back at the orphanage. For her, it was a lot, but to the common person… it was much too little to be surviving off of.

It wasn't much later that Emerald learned that she could use her semblance into tricking people to give her food or to allow her to take food from them.

An idea she thought of upon seeing a little Ruby sitting outside a grocery store, snacking on bread and sharing it with some birds while talking to them. If she could just make the girl think there were more animals… and a large one coming up to her as Emerald got closer…

"Whoa!" Ruby exclaimed, looking up at Emerald wide eyed. "You're a big birdie aren't you?"

Emerald nervously stood in front of Ruby, trying to focus on the image that she was projecting onto the younger child and making sure she saw the bird nod before it craned it's neck down and nudged her shoulder while Emerald used her hand to do so.

Ruby giggled at being nudged, reaching her arm up to affectionately rub at Emerald's arm, or rather, the beak of the bird.

The touch made Emerald's arm warm, until she remembered that she was tricking this little girl for her food. She reached for the bread, giving it a gentle tug.

"You want this bread birdie?" Ruby asked curiously, receiving a nod from the imaginary bird. "Oh, here you go." She smiled, stretching her hand up with the small loaf of bread in it as offering.

Smiling, Emerald snatched the bread before running off, happy to receive food that would sustain her for a while and eager to eat it.

Cinder had just exited the grocery store at this time though and had seen her sister hand some stranger her bread. She didn't think much of it at first, as Cinder knew that Ruby had a warm heart, but upon walking up to her, Cinder had some second thoughts.

"Sis! Did you see it? Did you see it?" Ruby excitedly asked

"See what dear?" Cinder asked, confused

"There was this _huge_ bird that came out of nowhere! And it wanted my bread so I gave it!" Ruby grinned, waving her arms wildly to gesture the size of the bird.

Cinder frowned at this, knowing fully well there was no large bird, but another child in front of her sister that took bread. The question though, was why Ruby saw one thing happen, when something entirely different happened instead?

There was no use is standing around in confusion if she could just ask the child instead.

"Come along Ruby, we need to find someone." Cinder stated, shifting the few grocery bags onto one hand and holding her other out for Ruby to grab.

"Who?" Ruby asked, grabbing hold of her sister's hand.

"I don't know yet, but it would be interesting to find out."

Cinder knew the child couldn't have gone very far if she was as skinny and tired as Cinder had seen. Knowing fully well that the child had the look of hunger, she 8would have wanted to go someplace close to eat. Cinder simply decided to go in the direction she saw the child head off to, hoping that she would just come across her.

And she did.

After running off with the small loaf of bread, Emerald had stopped by a small playground, abandoned for the winter and sat on a bench, and began eating. She knew not to eat too quickly, despite it being so difficult for her to do so, but it was necessary to keep her stomach from lurching in protest.

"How did you do that?" Cinder asked, walking up behind Emerald, causing her to jump and whip around in surprise.

"I-I don't know…" Emerald tried to stammer out.

"Sis? Who's she?" Ruby asked, peeking her head out to the side and from behind Cinder.

Emerald looked down, upon seeing the little girl she took bread from, her eyes quickly snapped up in fear as they made eye contact with Cinder.

"P-Please. I-I didn't mean to. I-I was just so hungry and I-I thought…" She tried

"What's your name?" Cinder asked, interrupting the hungry child.

"E-Emerald…" she muttered quietly.

Cinder repeated her name for Ruby to hear, causing Emerald's red eyes to flicker back and forth between the sisters.

"Oh." Ruby voiced, glancing to the other kid. "Is she the person we were looking for?" She asked, looking back up to Cinder.

"Perhaps." Cinder replied, returning her gaze back to Emerald. "This is my sister, Ruby. She told me a rather peculiar thing when I came out of the grocery store, telling me that she saw a rather large bird and gave it her bread. Now I know that's not true because I saw you take her bread instead. Tell me… how did you do that?"

"I-I…" Emerald stammered

"Please take note that I am not a patient person," Cinder warned, her voice low and dangerous as her eyes narrowed. "And I especially am not tolerant of those who try to hurt or fool my sister."

"N-No! I-I didn't- I-I wasn't!" Emerald stuttered heavily, fear taking hold of her as she took a step back to put some more safety between her and the dangerous teen.

"Cinder!" Ruby scolded, "Don't be mean!"

Cinder frowned at being chided by her sister, but she still held her glare on Emerald, causing her to loudly swallow.

"I-It's my semblance." Emerald confessed, "I-I can… create illusions." She winced, shamefully hanging her head.

Her semblance was what had made her a "witch" at the orphanage, and kept everyone away from her as they thought that she would cast some terror onto them at any given moment. Her hair and red eyes didn't help either.

Cinder arched an eyebrow, "Impressive." She said, causing Emerald to snap her head up in disbelief. Cinder turned to her sister who had been tugging on her arm to ask what that meant, "She can make you see things that are not there. Like that large bird you saw."

Ruby's face fell, "That birdie wasn't real?"

Cinder shook her head, "No, but I'm sure if you ask nicely, Emerald here wouldn't mind showing you again once we go back home."

"What?" Emerald asked dumbly, not sure if she heard right as it seemed as though Cinder had implied that she was going with them.

For her part, Cinder merely gestured with the grocery bags in her other hand, "Come with us, and we'll ensure you don't ever go hungry again."

Emerald merely eyed the bag, her stomach aching for longing at the sight of it and the prospect of food. For a kid that had been on the verge of starvation for most of her life, the promises of meals were enough to convince her to follow them.

She didn't talk at all during the walk to Cinder's home and always jumped whenever Ruby asked a question particularly loudly.

With the prospect of food hanging in the air, Emerald had thought that Cinder would use that as leverage in the event she decided not to answer her sister's questions.

After all, that was what happened at the orphanage

So Emerald would answer Ruby's questions, while nervously glancing back up at Cinder to ensure that she met her approval. Cinder though, didn't seem to pay any mind to Emerald. Instead she just kept looking forward and tugging her sister off to the side if she was about to run into something or hold her up to keep her balanced when Ruby decided to jump and walk along a short wall.

When they arrived to the house, Cinder simply walked in without a word to Emerald, causing her to awkwardly stand at the doorway. Ruby didn't seem to mind playing hostess though as she let go of her sister's hand and latched onto Emerald's and tugged her in.

Which… ended up being a common occurrence for Emerald since then.

Ruby would always end up popping out of nowhere, effectively startling Emerald and pestering her to play, ask questions, or if she would conjure up an illusion for entertainment. Naturally, Emerald would oblige because she had just begun eating full meals every day, three times per day, and she would be damned if one meal was missed because she wouldn't babysit her boss's sister.

Although initially Ruby's constant presence and pestering were unwelcomed and had inspired anxiety in Emerald, after some time, Ruby's happiness and curiosity of Emerald was something to look forward to. It was a constant reassurance to Emerald that she was not a freak like everyone back at the orphanage told her she was, that she was someone that could be interacted with without eliciting a look of disgust. It was a reminder that her semblance was not something to be condemned, but a talent that could be useful, something that could be enjoyed.

There was one constant action Ruby did especially though, that cemented her into Emerald's being. It was during every meal, Ruby would glance over to Emerald's plate that she had made, a small portion that she dared not increase out of the idea of taking more than what was granted, and Ruby would scoot over closer and take some of her own food to place it onto Emerald's plate.

At first, the action angered Emerald as she thought that Ruby simply could not finish her own food and was being rather wasteful of it like a spoiled brat who didn't know what it was like to starve. But, after learning more about Ruby… Emerald understood what the little girl was trying to do.

She was trying to share Emerald's pain, and the pleasantries she had been raised with.

And it wasn't until after the second week that Roman had told her.

"She knows how that feels you know." He had plainly stated, "But because she had the fortune of never experiencing that again, she wants to make sure you don't either. So when you only grab that tiny ass portion of food? That hurts her. And to her, if she only has to experience an hour of hunger, that's fine with her, because that means you're full."

Ever since then, Emerald had begun accepting more food onto her plate, but Ruby would still take some of her own food to place onto Emerald's. So, instead of pushing it away, Emerald would trade her instead. Ruby handed her a slice of her crepe? Hand her some extra strawberries. Ruby gave her a piece of chicken? Trade it in for some mashed potatoes. Overtime, their exchange transformed of course.

But it evolved most frequently when Mercury arrived.

Ruby had been quieter at the table, and instead of glancing over to Emerald; she would glance over to the new kid.

She still traded food with Emerald of course, but her attention had become split. Emerald was unsure why at first, but it was a little displeasing.

Not only that, but she couldn't help but feel a little pang in her chest when Ruby began bothering her a little less than normal. Emerald would even feel irked when Ruby would mention Mercury during their time spent together, but because she didn't know what to do or how to deal about those odd feelings, she never said anything.

It was even worse after Mercury had lost his legs. Which may have sounded bad, but Emerald didn't give a damn at the time. Something good was finally happening to her and she had been feeling better about herself, and the one person who was responsible for that wasn't spending as much time with her as usual.

Then there was the fact that Mercury's condition had been making Ruby sad. She had been returning back to the house with a small pout and wet eyes every time she came back from visiting him, and Emerald didn't like the sight of that.

But still… She didn't know what to do about it. What was she supposed to do? She wasn't even sure what those feelings that were bubbling up inside her. She didn't even know if she was allowed to feel them. How was she supposed to deal with them? If she showed them, she was most certainly going to get in trouble.

Just like back at the orphanage. If she showed any signs of anger, she would most certainly be punished. And if she showed and signs of sadness, she would be mocked.

… What was she supposed to do?

Even after Mercury started feeling better, Ruby still hadn't returned to her usual bubbly self, nor had she bothered Emerald as much as before. In fact, she seldom even stopped by to chat anymore.

And… Emerald didn't like that.

She wanted Ruby to keep bothering her, to keep running up to her and ask her to join in on something she was doing, to ask if she could make her see something.

But how was Emerald supposed to convey that? How… could she voice out her thoughts without any sort of repercussions?

The sound of a marker squeaking and tapping interrupted her idling, causing her to turn in surprise toward Neo. The tiny teen turned her whiteboard, a gift from Ruby after she realized she had no way to communicate with Cinder, around _"You know, you're allowed to ask questions and show what you're feeling."_

Emerald blinked in confusion, garnering an empathetic smile from Neo before she turned the white board back toward her and erased the contents.

She wrote again, flipping it around. " _I know it's hard, but you're allowed to talk about what's on your mind or what you're feeling. At least with Ruby."_

"But I-" Emerald began, fidgeting in nervousness. She was stopped with a polite gesture from Neo, who had begun scribbling on her board again.

" _You won't get in trouble. You're not there any more. You're_ _here_ _. Away from those who silenced you."_ Neo's board stated.

Emerald blinked, starring at the board for what might have been forever. When the words on the board finally registered, her throat closed up, and her eyes welled up.

The reaffirmation and reassurance that she was away from that awful place, the confirmation of being allowed to do something she had been holding back, that she had a right to be heard and to speak. That here, she did not have to worry about getting in trouble, not with Ruby at least.

"I-I…" Emerald started, only to garner another sympathetic smile and nod from Neo.

Looking up, red eyes connected with sad, understanding, and pained silver eyes and Emerald understood. Neo knew what she was going through.

 _"You should talk to Ruby. You'll feel better."_ Her board stated

Emerald nodded as she expressed her gratitude, and proceeded to head over to where she knew Ruby would be at that moment, with Mercury in his recovery room at the clinic.

"Emerald." Mercury stated, though it sounded more like a question, as he was a little shocked.

Ruby whirled around, a small expression of excitement formed on her face, though it quickly fell when it seemed like she remembered something and she looked away. The action made Emerald's chest ache, but that's what she was here for, to try and relieve that ache.

"What a surprise. What's up?" Mercury asked

"Oh…" Emerald's hand twitched in annoyance at the other kid, but she wasn't here for him. "I… wanted to… talk to Ruby." She hesitantly said

Ruby snapped her head up in surprise and happiness, "Really?" She asked, until she remembered something again and her face fell.

Emerald nodded, "Er… Yeah…" She awkwardly stated. "I-It's just…" She audibly gulped.

She couldn't do this. She couldn't talk about herself. It was just too difficult.

"You… You stopped bothering me." She blurted out, though it sounded more of an accusation. "I want to know why."

Mercury's eyes widened a fraction in surprise, as though he had not been expecting her to say such a thing.

Ruby for her part, looked utterly lost and confused. Was Emerald mad or was she sad? She couldn't tell, but she figured she would answer her question. "I uh…" She glanced over to Mercury before looking down at the thin book she was fiddling with. "Merc told me that you might not like being bothered, and you might want to be by yourself sometimes like he did… And I didn't want to bother you…" She confessed, her legs swinging in the air nervously from the chair she was sitting on.

Emerald frowned, "Well… He's wrong!" She said, once again sounding more accusing than a statement and making her wince. That, wasn't supposed to come out the way it did. She tried to glance over to Mercury apologetically, though it didn't seem like she had succeeded in the facial expression, as he looked incredibly confused and a little offended. Emerald tried to back track, "J-Just because he liked to be alone doesn't mean I do!" She winced again, and hung her head in shame.

She was really terrible at this. She should just stop before she makes things worse for herself.

"So… You like being bothered?" Mercury asked, causing her head to snap up once more and meet his hazel eyes filled with sympathy, and understanding. He knew fully well what she was trying to convey and was trying to help her.

Ruby's eyes lit up in hope, glancing back and forth between Emerald and Mercury.

"No!" Emerald accidentally blurted out, "I just mean. It's weird when she doesn't bother me! It's kind of annoying actually because now I have all this free time that I don't know what to do with. So…" she gestured in the air, leaving her words hanging.

"You missed her!" Mercury claimed with a grin before nudging Ruby to get her attention, "She missed you! Isn't that great Ruby? She want's to keep spending time together!"

Ruby seemed to understand as her whole face beamed in happiness and she turned to Emerald. "Do you want to read with us then?!" She asked, "Mercury was going to help me read this book, it's about this large dragon that is lonely and then! The hero… heroi-heroine comes! And they become friends!" Ruby grinned.

Emerald fidgeted her hands nervously, unsure of how to accept the invitation and display her excitement. "… Fine." She lamely said, though it seemed a sufficient enough answer as Ruby beamed and scrambled onto Mercury's bed so Emerald could take her seat next to the it.

Once she sat, Emerald glanced up to Mercury who gave her a small smile, and she returned it with gratitude. "Want to help with visual effects?" He asked

"… I guess…" She shrugged, though her answer caused Ruby to vibrate with excitement and cheer.

Mercury and Emerald smiled at the little girl's excitement before Mercury began to read and immerse the three into the story, prompting Emerald to conjure up illusions for Ruby's entertainment.

Later when Cinder stopped by to take her sister home, she was surprised to find the three together, Emerald stuttering and trying her best to speak what was on her mind while Mercury would seemingly tease her with what was the truth. Ruby would continuously look at Emerald to ensure that what Mercury was saying was correct before roping Emerald to continue with their activities.

Over time of course, the three's interactions began to evolve and Emerald began to feel more comfortable speaking up, though she still had trouble conveying whatever it was that she was feeling. That didn't seem to pose a problem for anyone else though, as gradually everyone began to understand her. Though… the rest of the members of the organization still could not tell what she was feeling, for the most part she always seemed like an angry and annoyed teenager.

A persona she was definitely portraying at this moment due to the little prank Ruby and Mercury pulled on her that she definitely had no qualms in shouting at them for.

Something Cinder was most definitely not appreciating at the moment, as it was still too early for her to even be functioning.

"Shut. UP." Cinder growled, throwing Emerald a vicious glare, emphasized by her eyes glowing.

Mercury and Emerald both immediately snapped their mouths closed with an audible click.

Ruby frowned at her Cinder before chiding her for her behavior. "Sis, I know you haven't had your coffee yet, but you need to stop being so grouchy."

Cinder merely grumbled as she buried her head into her hands once again. She just wanted her coffee.

"What's with all the noise?" Roman asked, emerging from the stairway slouched over and rubbing an eye. Neo sleepily trailed after him, swaying lightly from side to side as she mirrored his action, rubbing her own eye. "It's too early for you guys to be causing such a ruckus…" He said with a tint of annoyance as they continued making their way to the open bar.

The two blood siblings were about to pass Emerald, but paused and turned their heads in sync.

They stared at her plainly, and at once, both of the corners of their mouths quirked up in amusement and let out a snort of amusement.

The action caused them both to groan and clutch their head as their already prevailing headache worsened for a fraction.

Emerald on the other hand, huffed in annoyance at the happiness they were showing from her expense, stomping away back upstairs to clean herself up.

"What a lovely way to start the morning…" Roman groaned, running a hand through his messy hair. It was a habit he did when he was a little stress, though it typically showed in a manner of him fixing his hat.

"Good morning Roman!" Ruby happily chirped, leaning on the bar with her arms crossed on top of the surface. "Sleep well?"

"Like a baby." Roman yawned reaching across to affectionately ruffle Ruby's head in greeting.

Ruby beamed under the attention, though it quickly turned apprehensive once she remembered Mercury was standing besides her, causing her eyes to dart between the two boys.

Roman and Mercury have always had an odd relationship. Initially, Roman simply just did not like Mercury when he first started living at the house, the older boy would always frown in disapproval at the younger's direction or suspiciously glare at him. The cause of Roman's disapproval was most likely due to Mercury's treatment toward Ruby. Mercury on the other hand, plainly just did not like anyone and had scowled at everyone who looked his way. Noticing Roman's constant attention on him whenever the older boy was in the house though, Mercury was always sure to bring it up and attempt to start a fight between the two. Though, Roman made sure not to be provoked into it, he sure didn't put a stop to their disputes.

After Mercury had warmed up to the youngest household member, one would have assumed he and Roman would make peace and get along. In place of that scenario, tensions between the two skyrocketed. It seemed that instead of bonding over their shared views and soft spots for Ruby, their competitive aspects of their personality emerged and took control when one saw the other showing affection of any sort toward the young girl. As Emerald would often say when she noticed Mercury doing something or helping Ruby out, it was a competition of finding out who the award for best brother of the year would go to. (Neo would sign to her brother that it was more like a competition of measuring who was the most whipped, as they would often throw each other smug smirks when they did something Ruby wanted to do without complaint. For example, Neo once convinced Ruby to give a _very_ frilly apron with ribbons and sparkles to Roman, complete with his name etched on the chest – bedazzled. The petite girl also convinced the younger one to gift Mercury frilly pants with an embezzled word of "Sparkly" on the pants' behind. Neo explained to Ruby that these were something the two boys had always wanted and would be happy to wear. Upon receiving their gifts, the two didn't even bat an eye, immediately putting the articles of clothing on to show their appreciation and began bickering over whose was better.) It was not uncommon for the two to be engaged in some sort of verbal disagreement or to sneer and mock the other while Ruby tried to placate the two

As predicted, Mercury scowled at the display of affection and smacked Roman's hand away before fixing Ruby's hood back to the way it was.

A gesture that made Roman frown of course, but instead of quipping back at Mercury as he usually did to prompt an argument, his headache pleaded him not to and caused him to wave a hand in dismissal. "Shouldn't you be off making breakfast like a good boy?" He asked, sagging down in the seat next to Cinder. "I do believe, it is your turn."

Ruby gave a sigh of relief. As much as she loved the two, they could be a bit much when butting heads. She quickly tensed back up though, upon learning it was Mercury's turn to cook.

The members of the household normally had a set schedule for cooking, usually made as a cycle and only switched when someone would be too busy to cook. Of course, they didn't cook every single day; as they would order take out sometimes. Regardless, there was still a cycle of whoever would be cooking.

After Ruby was enrolled into Beacon Academy though, that cycle (or rather… simply cooking) was put to a halt. Not only did the household no longer hold fresh food, but everyone was simply too depressed and stressed out to do the chore, much less go grocery shopping. From what Roman had told Ruby (though she was certain he was dramatizing everything), Mercury lived off of protein bars and canned food. Roman and Neo seemed to do well for themselves, stealing snacks here and there and going out to dine and dash. Emerald stole other people's meals from the base. Cinder, much to the younger sibling's dismay, rarely ate – only doing so to placate her stomach. Unfortunately, that was no longer here nor there as it was everyone's fault for not taking care of themselves.

Though, it was a little irksome to learn that everyone didn't even bother to try to maintain routine after she left. The last time she was home, Roman had cooked – meaning Mercury was supposed to follow after. Something he's about to do right now since he is making breakfast.

... Maybe Roman wasn't exaggerating when she and he talked last about there never being food in the house.

Scowl still in place, most likely there due to having to actually listen to Roman and do what he said, Mercury took a few long steps over to the fridge and pulled out a number of items, purchased just the night before Ruby came to visit. Among the items he pulled out, Ruby tried to decipher what he would be cooking; milk, eggs, bacon, a melon, cantaloupe, and…

"STRAWBERRIES!" She gasped, whipping her head over to throw a pointed look at her beloved sister. "You told me there wasn't any!"

Cinder didn't get to say anything as she was interrupted by a loud snort from Roman, and an amused huff from Neo.

"Red, the day we never hold either strawberries or cookies in stock while you're in is the day we hand ourselves over to the devil themselves." Roman drawled out, resting his head in one hand.

Ruby frowned, "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked as Neo sluggishly made her way over to her and plopped herself over Ruby's back, snuggling into it.

Neo brought her hands around and began signing; starting it off with a pointed finger at Ruby's nose to indicate that she would be talking to her. Using the same finger, she curled it, hooking it into Ruby's mouth and lightly pulling at it then dropped her hand, wiped it on Ruby's shoulder, and loosed hugged her over the shoulders to cuddle.

The sentence wasn't exactly complete, but Ruby knew exactly what Neo had told her.

" _You're addicted."_

"I am not addicted!" She pouted, emphasizing her statement with a light bang on the dark marble counter.

Another snort from Roman, "Yes you are." He stated, poking Ruby's nose to emphasize his affirmation.

Cinder lazily looked up, noticing how much closer and open Roman and Neo have been, a stark contrast to the previous 2 months.

Roman and Neo had been more closed off, acting rather exclusive to each other and never willing to talk to another person any longer than necessary. And when they did, it typically came with a form of abuse or violence. They almost never rarely came home, granted it was mostly due to not wanting to incur Cinder's wrath and ire, but it was also because neither one of them wanted to be around… well, anyone.

It was eerily similar to how the two first acted around Cinder when they first met.

Though, it only made sense as Roman and Neo only had each other to rely on for so long.

The two had been raised in a household of a dysfunctional single mother, their father abandoning them soon after Neo turned 4 years old and Roman 7. An action that was taken harshly by the mother, and she acted out on them against the two children, though albeit differently.

Roman, who looked so much like his father, took the brunt of most of her physical attacks. Every single day he would suffer a hit from household objects and obtain a new bruise. Beatings that he suffered from whip-like objects were relished, as the attacks were quick and only left a stinging sensation he was more than okay with. Days when his mother looked particularly angrier than usual though, were days that he feared as the beatings were worse and she would occasionally break a bone. Due to never being able to go to a clinic to get his injuries seen, his bones had never been able to heal and set correctly, causing him to be a little more fragile than the average person. It was why he wasn't a good fighter and typically had to rely on fighting dirty. It was also why he had to walk around with a cane. Although he hid it very well, Roman still walks with a slight limp and experiences pain in his right hip if he stands for too long.

His pain is something that he would carry for the rest of his life.

Neo rarely suffered from physical injuries, but was frequently locked in a closet as her mother shouted profanities and insults at her, and never let out for long periods of time. With her natural two-toned hair, ever changing eye-color, and muteness… her mother thought her a freak, an abomination, and could never believe that she gave birth to Neo.

For Neo, the worst part was… she believed her. Her hair was unnatural. Her eyes changing colors was odd. But the one thing she hated the most, was her muteness. It was an inconvenience, it made her useless and because of it, she could never cry for help or offer words of comfort to Roman. Worst of all though, Neo could never shout for her mother to "Stop".

Or at least the option to tell her so…

Roman and Neo had to rely on each other to make it through that hellhole. When they could, they would help each other; Neo would help bandage Roman up, while Roman would sneak her out and give her food. Their reliance on each other came to the point where neither was able to accomplish anything besides getting their mother to focus on the other. If Neo were being dragged back to the closet, Roman would run over and grab hold of their mom, shouting at her to stop. If Roman was bearing a particularly bad beating, Neo would run over and try to stop their mom by grabbing hold or trying to get her attention by whacking her with her tiny arms.

Finally, when Roman was 12, he had enough. His semblance unlocked, a rather passive one where something on or around the person he was looking at would highlight, a sign of weakness or a sign of wrong about the person. At that time though, he didn't actually know what was going on, all he knew was that he acted on his instincts, and it saved him and his sister.

Their mother had been much more brutal that day and had gone out, drinking copious amounts of alcohol. Upon coming home with more cases of beer, their mother immediately grabbed Neo and shoved her in the closet. To add to her sick humor, their mother threw 3 bottles in after, smashing them against the wall and shattering the glass among the floor before locking the door. After, she swayed down the hall toward Roman who had been trying to get his mother to stop what she was doing against Neo, only to start backing away upon noticing she had set her sights on him. As she walked, she had accidentally broke the bottom half of the bottle after smashing it at the side of Roman's face with enough force to throw him against the wall. Causing some shards and alcohol to get caught in his right eye.

Angered at losing more of her drink, she began blaming her son for the loss of it, holding the broken half bottle toward Roman with intent of beating him with it. At this, Roman was fully frightened for his life as he backed up against the wall, and when he looked back at his mother about to plead for her to stop, he noticed the bottle highlight with a quick trail flowing up and above her head for a fraction of a second, then her stomach highlighted, and finally the staircase behind her.

She hadn't raised her glass weapon at the time, but as if in slow motion and following the exact trail in his vision, he instinctually knew what to do. Her center of balance was already off due to the inebriation, but it was further thrown off as she raised her weapon above her head. So a simple push at her stomach would cause her to stumble back, and down the staircase.

One would think it would be rather satisfying for a person like her to be knocked out unconscious at the foot of the stairs.

To Roman though, it was absolutely terrifying. When she awoke, he and Neo would be in for the worst beating in their lives.

So, he panicked.

He ran to the closet, ensuring his sister that it was him before he began desperately unlocking it. Quickly after, he frantically began telling Neo that they had to run.

And they did, never once looking back.

Living on the streets was difficult at first, but it was… incredibly liberating for the both of them. So much so, they actually did not mind it. It didn't take long for them to get into the swing of things, or rather… It didn't take long for Roman.

With his new found semblance, The Cheater's HUD - a self proclaimed title he came up with - Roman quickly found that he could easily hustle people. The only problem of course, was to ensure that he and Neo could back up what they say.

The two soon began watching others, constantly learning and figuring out how to make a way for themselves. Roman found his way in gambling card games, using his semblance to watch for "tells" and know when it would be safe to place bets or fold in. Neo on the other hand… began fighting.

Underground, brutal - one on one, fighting.

With her petite size, it was so easy to fool fighters into thinking she was some delicate little girl. Her opponents were quick to find out that not only was she flexible and nimble, making it difficult to land a hit on her, but the strength and muscles of her legs were frighteningly strong.

With her strength and Roman's wit, the two were ruthless in obtaining money. Their names quickly grew and became well known in underground gambling world, always known to have the other lurking somewhere in the shadow.

Cinder, a mercenary for hire at the time, did not know of them though. So when she dropped in on one of Roman's more dangerous gambling session of poker and killed the person who would have made Roman rich for the month, she had thought she met someone like herself. That she may have found something like a companion, a person to confide in.

But then, Neo came out and Roman introduced her as his little sister and Cinder realized, he was nothing like her.

Regardless, the three continued running into each other after that as Cinder continued stealing Roman's marks after that before he could obtain any money. Occasionally, Roman would accidentally allow the mark to get away before Cinder could get to them. It was becoming nerve wracking and stressful, so the three ended up living together out of convenience – if only to work out a better solution or compromise for marks. Aside from speaking of that though, the three never conversed with one another for no reason. Roman of course, tried; but Cinder's apathetic and stoic personality made conversing very difficult. To be fair, Roman and Neo's seemingly exclusive interactions with each other didn't exactly allow others to feel comfortable talking with the two.

It wasn't until Roman opened the door on a cold winter's day with Neo behind him to see a panicked and desperate looking Cinder who was gasping to catch her breath while holding a little girl in her arms. The sight of emotion being displayed on Cinder's expression was enough to freeze the blood siblings at the spot. The sound of her barking an order to obtain supplies and food for the sick and cold child out was enough to snap them out of their stupor and follow.

"Where did she come from?" Roman asked, "Did you pick her up from somewhere? Who is she?" the questions to the identity of the child fired one after another after Cinder had placed her into bed.

"Her name is Ruby," Cinder growled in annoyance, effectively silencing the other teen. "And she has been out in the cold for Remnant knows how long with no food. Which means she has Hypothermia and is on the verge of starvation, and if you are going to continue standing there like a bumbling idiot and ask questions unrelated to her condition, then she is going to die. Now go do some useful or stay out of my way!"

Hearing Cinder raise her voice and speak more than one sentence was another surprise for Roman and Neo. The reason quickly became prevalent as to why and who was making her act that way.

It was the little girl who was shivering and weakly coughing in pain, lying in bed.

And that? That irked Roman and Neo a bit. The two had known Cinder for a better part of a year now, and still had not been able to garner any reaction or emotion out of her. Then suddenly, some little girl comes and only knows Cinder for a better part of a day and she is able to provoke such a drastic change of emotions out of Cinder.

They had no qualms of telling Ruby their feelings and what they thought of her when she awoke a week later while Cinder had to go out and deal with an… issue with a contract.

Ruby had weakly asked for Cinder upon waking; though found that she was in the room by herself. Since she wanted to know where Cinder was, Ruby had decided the best way to solve that mystery was to get out of bed and search. Still feeling a little light headed and chilly, Ruby dragged the blanket with her and out the bedroom door.

The apartment she was in, was small with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. She found no one in the other two rooms, so had gone out to the living room where Roman and Neo had been sitting around and were starring at her.

"Who are you?" Ruby asked with a tilt of her head. "Where's Cinder?"

Roman waved his hand in dismissal. "Gone. You should be grateful, Neo and I stayed to keep an eye on you."

"You did?" Ruby asked, before a beaming smile took over her face. "Thanks Neo and… uh."

"Roman." He offered with a shrug.

Ruby beamed and began peering her head around at the apartment, as though looking for something that Roman mistook for her analyzing the place.

"What?" He snapped

Nonplussed, Ruby turned to him with wide questioning eyes. "I just wanted to know if I could do something to thank you."

Neo and Roman turned to each other in confusion, unsure of how to take such an innocent and naive gesture. They turned to the one emotion that had been present prior though, and acted on it. "No." Roman simply stated in annoyance, "Get lost kid." He stated, waving his hand in dismissal before turning away.

Ruby didn't get a chance to say anything as Cinder had entered the apartment at that moment with a brown paper bag filled with groceries in hand. Seeing Ruby up and standing around brought a smile to her face as she took long, quick steps up to the child and knelt down, placing her bag to the side.

"You're up. Are you feeling better?" Cinder asked in concern, holding Ruby gently, but steadily.

The little girl nodded, albeit sluggishly, but with a smile on her face. "Mhm. I feel great!" She stated, pumping her fists to show how strong she was.

Except, her body still wasn't use to feeling healthier than it had been, so her fist pumps caused her to sway and stumble to the side. Cinder seemed to have anticipated that action though, as her hands lightly gripped onto the child and kept her steady.

"Easy there tiger." Cinder said with a small laugh, hold Ruby still. "You're still recovering from hypoth- er… your cold. You need to get some food in your stomach and stay in bed." She finished with a small tap of her finger onto Ruby's nose.

Ruby frowned, "But I'm not-"

Her stomach chose that moment to growl, rather loudly, eliciting her to slowly look down at her traitorous stomach with a pout and glare.

"Hungry?" Cinder chuckled with a quirked brow. She stood back up, "How about we get you tucked back into bed, and I'll make some soup for you since you're not hungry?"

Ruby pouted at the suggestion, "Can I have more than just soup?"

Cinder pretended to contemplate, "How about… Noodle soup? With extra noodles?" She asked. Since Ruby was still in the midst of recovery, she wouldn't be able to eat any solid food without feeling nausea. It would be best if she stuck with eating food that was easy to digest. "I'll even put in some crackers if you want."

Thinking it over, the child deemed the offer satisfactory and nodded, causing Cinder smiled and led Ruby back to the room.

Roman and Neo both rolled their eyes at Cinder's interaction with the child. "Well if you're going to baby her, then we're leaving to get _ourselves_ some food." Roman stated as he and Neo got up.

Cinder waved them off in dismissal, causing the two to frown in disapproval and huff.

Their discontent was seen by Ruby before Cinder led her back to the room, and it was further emphasized by the slam of the front door as they left.

It was an hour later when they came back, only to find the entire interior apartment to have been thrown in chaos.

As they warily entered, Cinder came scrambling back out with a look of desperations and gold eyes filled with fear and worry.

"Have either of you seen Ruby?" She asked, grabbing Roman by his arms and gripping them tightly.

"I… No." Roman said wide-eyed at seeing the frantic look on Cinder's face. Neo slowly shook her head, keeping her eyes trained on the older teen as well.

"She-She's not here anymore." Cinder stated in distress and anxiety. Her appearance seemed to portray her emotions as well; her hair was disheveled, the bags under her eyes from watching over Ruby for the past week were more prominent, her eyes kept darting around in fear as though she may have missed a spot, and her clothing was no longer without crease. "I don't know where she may have gone! I only took my eyes off her for a moment, to wash the dishes, and by the time I went back to the room, she wasn't there!" She frantically explained, eyes beginning to well up.

Roman and Neo glanced at each other, shock and confusion evident in their expression upon seeing the usually stoic Cinder act this way.

"I-I wouldn't… She's the only…" Cinder clambered, bringing her hands up to her temples as though holding her head would allow her to collect her thoughts. She looked back at Roman with a feeling of lost, "She's still sick and-"

She froze as she looked behind Roman, a startling realization spreading across her face. "She might be looking for her mom."

Roman and Neo both were confused at the statement. When the words sank in, Roman glared at Cinder. "Did you kidnap-"

Cinder snapped at him, "I did not **kidnap** her. Her mother is dead and Ruby was out wandering around looking for 'heaven' of all things when I found her." She worriedly looked back out, "She might be out there looking for her mom again… If she is then she won't… You have to help me!"

It was at that moment comprehension clicked in Roman's mind, Cinder truly and genuinely cares for this girl. The idea of Cinder caring for anyone had eluded him despite all of the signs; it wasn't until now, when Cinder was asking for help that it clicked in his mind. For whatever reason that happened, she had come to care for the child. Not only that, but it seemed as though… the child had given Cinder something that Roman knew had been missing from her eyes ever since they met. He knew that it was something she had secretly been envious of after meeting Neo.

And if she were to lose the one thing she had been longing for, then there was no way to predict the devastating impact it would have on her.

"O-Okay." Roman agreed, casting a sideway glance to his sister. "She couldn't have gone too far. We just have to split up…"

Neo's eyes widen in slight fear, the two of them had never separated so far from one another before. The mere idea of the two of them splitting to search for some child was frightening to her.

Roman gave a shaky smile, "It won't be for long. We just… We have to hurry up."

Cinder frantically nodded, giving a small sigh of relief before she quickly grabbed a coat and scarf. "I'll go south. You two go North West and East." She hurriedly said, throwing her articles of clothing on and closing the door behind her. "If you see her, message the rest of us."

Roman and Neo gave shaky nods, still not feeling confident about separating from one another.

At that, Cinder ran off in her self appointed direction.

The two blood siblings casted each other one more fearful glance before reluctantly separating, running off to help with the search.

Cinder made sure to check around block, every alley, every corner to find Ruby, calling out for her name while still maintaining that hurried and desperate pace. Roman wasn't as hurried, but he still took his time to check every nook and cranny he thought a child would hide in. Or at least, places he knew that he would hide when he were a child. He made sure to call out for her name every once in a while at different spots, telling the silent air around him that Cinder was worried.

Neo… had no idea how she was going to find the child, more less how to convey that Ruby had to come back in the off chance Neo found her. Instead, she found herself peeking around every corner and knocking the wall as though asking "Anyone here?" Only to check more thoroughly after in the event her knock wasn't paid heed to.

After 2 hours of searching and many calls for Ruby and the thousandth knock, Neo found her and had messaged the other two so. The little girl was hunched over in a dirty alleyway, shivering from the cold with lips tinted blue and purple. It seemed that she had heard Neo's light tapping though, but had not seen her so answered with a, "Who's there?" surprising Neo.

Hesitantly, Neo came forth and made her way in front of the child, worry etched over her face due to not knowing how to communicate with her, but it seemed like she wouldn't have to.

"You found me." Ruby stated, her face fallen with a small pout. "I'm sorry…"

Neo tilted her head in confusion, unsure of why the child was apologizing.

"You and Roman told me to get lost." Ruby clarified, "But you found me…"

Neo's eyes widened slightly at her confession, just how naïve does this child have to be to actually listen to people telling her to get lost? More importantly though, if Cinder found out then there was no telling what she would do with her recent change of demeanor.

"Do you not like me?" Ruby asked, looking down at the ground with a small pout. "If you don't, I can leave… That's why I got lost. Because I thought if I did, you would like me. But you found me, which means I didn't do a good job and now you might not like me…"

Neo quickly shook her head, but realized that Ruby couldn't see her. She had to wave her hand in front of Ruby's face to get her attention and shake her head once more.

"So, you do like me?" Ruby asked

That was far from what Neo felt toward the child, but she knew that she had no other choice but to nod in order to get the girl to come along.

Ruby gave a weak smile, shivers now taking over her body. "Do we have to go back?"

Another nod.

"Okay." Ruby easily agreed, shakily standing back up, only for her knees to buckle and cause her to stumble into Neo.

The young teen nearly jerked away out of reflex, but gritted her teeth to steady the child. It wouldn't do to have her return home with injuries.

"Thanks." Ruby weakly beamed, causing Neo to wince in guilt.

The smile Ruby had shown earlier that day was much more warmer, filled with energy that caused the corners of her eyes to crease. The smile she gave now barely peaked out of her blue lips, the corner of her eyes barely creasing. Had Roman and Neo not told her to get lost, maybe her smile would still be the same.

Neo merely nodded to show that Ruby's gratitude was appreciated before letting go and turning away to direct Ruby back to the apartment. She didn't take more than 3 steps when her hand was gently grabbed though.

At that, Neo jerked away as though her hand had been burned, looking at Ruby in fear and confusion.

The child merely pouted glancing between Neo's hand and her own longingly for them to intertwine. Ruby then figured that maybe Neo didn't want to just hold hands and decided to hold up her other hand and looked up at Neo expectantly.

The young teen looked even more confused at Ruby's open arms, not entirely sure what the child wanted.

"Carry me?"

From the look Neo had showed, it was as if she had no idea what the heck Ruby had requested of her.

The child decided to take care of that herself, as she tugged Neo down to crouch in silent command. After Neo had questioningly done so, Ruby had climbed onto Neo's back, wrapping her arms around Neo's neck and let out a sigh of contentment.

Still baffled at the request, and now further perplexed at the action placed from Ruby, Neo warily stood back up, tucking her arms under Ruby's legs. She might as well oblige with carrying the child as Ruby was in no condition to carry herself.

Neo frowned at that thought, and her frown further deepened upon feeling how light Ruby was and her legs were so thin and skinny, there was barely any muscle there. It felt as though if there were any more weight placed on her, the child's legs would easily buckle and cause the force of the weight to crush the little girl.

Ruby chose that moment to snuggle deeper into Neo's back and elicit a conflicted feeling to rise in the young teen.

She didn't know what to do with someone so willing to show her affection. Roman still had difficulty doing so as he always treated her as though she were fragile, even with knowing how often Neo fought and was well aware that she could take plenty of hits, but he still thought she was about to break at any more than a light hug. To be fair, she did the same with him as well, as he had a weak body. Regardless, despite the two only having each other to rely on, they had rarely ever shown each other physical displays of affection, and when they did, it was always with great hesitance.

Receiving one that was so willing and full of love and gratitude, it made Neo feel lost. What was she supposed to do in return?

Despite having texted Cinder and Roman earlier to return back to the apartment, Neo was still the first to arrive to the apartment. Upon arrival, she had gently dispatched her cargo back onto the couch, only for Ruby to latch herself back to Neo's side and cause her to sit next to her. The young teen was still befuddled at what to do at this attention, so had begun awkwardly shuffling in place and rubbing Ruby's back as they waited for Roman and Cinder.

They didn't have to wait long as the door was thrown open with Cinder charging in filled with worry with Roman trailing behind her. Immediately upon seeing Ruby, Cinder gave a heavy sigh of relief before crashing into the child and causing Neo to let go while Cinder swung her arms around Ruby to envelope her in a near crushing hug.

Roman had elected to stay standing behind her, raising a brow in question of Ruby's prior position to Neo though. She gave a halfhearted shrug though, a small tinge of pink rising in her cheeks at being caught.

Once Cinder was able gather herself, she leaned back and looked at Ruby in the eye. "Please don't ever do that again Ruby, I was so worried about you."

Ruby, looking guilty, stared down at her feet as she mumbled an apology while her eyes welled up at the reprimand.

Cinder merely sighed, "It's okay. Just… Please don't do that again. You're still sick and you might have made it worse. I… We don't want that to happen right?" She asked, making Ruby shake her head in agreement. The corners of Cinder's mouth quirked up in approval before she stood up straight again, reaching out for Ruby's hand and giving it a light tug to indicate that she should follow. "Come now, we need to get you back in bed and warmed up."

"Can I take a bath?" Ruby asked

Cinder gave a sympathetic smile and shook her head. Applying direct heat to someone with hypothermia could damage Ruby's skin or even worse, cause her heartbeats to become irregular or severe. She shouldn't take a bath just yet. "Not now. But, I got you some clothes and you can change into that okay? And later, when you're feeling better you can take a bath with bubbles."

Ruby contemplated on this, "Will you take one with me?" She asked

Cinder didn't' have to think twice on that, and nodded in agreement. "Of course." She said as she led Ruby back to the room.

Before leaving, the child waggled her fingers toward Neo with a smile on her face, eliciting a similar, albeit more hesitant, response from the other teen.

"So? Where did you find her?" Roman asked expectantly. "Was she looking for her mom like Cinder said?"

Neo shook her head, raising her hands to explain to Roman exactly what happened and that they were at fault for her leaving.

His eyes drooped with guilt once she finished. He hadn't meant to actually send Ruby out in the cold to her possible death, he just… he didn't want her bothering him and Neo at the time.

 _'We have to apologize'_ Neo insisted, signing her words heavily with jerky movements. _'If I hadn't found her, she could have died and it would have been our fault! She is not the type of girl who deserves that fate!'_

"I know! I know!" Roman relented, sitting on the couch next to his sister. A little girl who is so ready to give her trust to two people she didn't know and show her gratitude by taking their words so seriously and doing so… That is not the type of person who deserves such a cruel, cold, and lonely death. She had done nothing but give a smile to them, and yet they had sent her out to the cold. "W-We'll tell her tomorrow. When Cinder is out. We'll have to watch her anyway so we might as well do it then."

Neo gave a small nod of approval as the two sat there silently, allowing the day's events to sink in.

By the time the following day had rolled around and Cinder requested them to look after Ruby, Roman had felt that the time was much too soon as he loomed in the doorway of Cinder's bedroom, looking over at the bed's occupant.

Neo nudged him forward, causing him to stumble in surprise before he caught himself. Slowly, the two made their way over to the side of the bed, Roman taking the spot closest to the headboard as they watched Ruby stir awake from the commotion.

Turning her head, Ruby began to rapidly blink the bleariness and grogginess out of her eyes, though upon seeing Roman and Neo, she gave a wide smile. "Hi!" She greeted in a singsong voice, causing Roman to cringe at the happiness being displayed toward him.

"H-Hey." He greeted, drumming his fingers against the side of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." Ruby simply stated, as she was still not completely awake to convey full sentences.

"That's good, that's good." Roman repeated, still trying to gather his thoughts, "Listen… Yesterday…" He began, trying to choke the words out.

Ruby merely smiled as she shifted her body to lie on her side so she could reach out for his hand and wrap both of her small and trembling hands around his much larger and sturdier one, causing him to pause in his declaration out of shock and look into her bright, and wide silver eyes filled with wonder. "It's okay. Neo told me yesterday you were sorry." She said, causing Neo's eyes to widen in surprise and Roman to turn to her in question.

How did Ruby know, when Neo didn't even speak to her?

"She didn't have to say it, because I saw." Ruby clarified, "So you don't have to say sorry because I know you don't want to. It's hard."

"I…" Roman tried. It was such an easy way out, he didn't have to apologize because she already knew that he was sorry. He wouldn't have to say such hated words that he had been repeating his whole childhood life to his mother all because he looked like his father. He didn't have to…

But… Ruby didn't deserve such treatment. So he would just have to grit his teeth and bear it. "It's hard, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve it so… I'm sorry I told you to get lost yesterday. I didn't mean it." Roman stated, beginning to feel his throat lurch up at the apology. He really hated apologizing.

Ruby for her part though, merely smiled, and tried to grip his hand a little harder and snuggle into it. "Your hand, it's so warm." She sighed happily, causing Roman's eyes to widen in surprise. It wasn't until her statement though, that he realized just how much colder her hands were, so without thinking, he tightened his grip on her hands and placed his other over them to help warm them up.

"They're so small…" He whispered out loud to Neo, who merely nodded her head. Much too small to catch all the problems that may be thrown in her way, and Ruby was much too naïve and trusting to the world that would only be so cruel toward someone so tiny and insignificant. Someone like her with wide trusting eyes that would only be happy to try and catch all those problems thrown her way. Problems that would are too big and too heavy for someone so light and tiny.

The worst part is that she was definitely the type to try and carry all those problems regardless if she were crushed underneath all that weight.

It was unfair for someone like her that was so warm and bright to be born into a world that was so cold and dark.

After that, the two tried their best to help Cinder take care of the child; whether it was to grab groceries, clothing, changing shifts to watch over her, they did it. It was only a mere week later that Ruby was able to make a recovery, and although she wasn't allowed to go outside just yet, she made sure to full heartedly greet everyone with a tight hug when they returned home. It was a nice change for Roman and Neo, as they had never felt so welcomed into their own home. Before, they would be greeted with yells of profanity and violence upon their arrival from their mother. Cinder had never acknowledged them on the chance she was home before. So enthused hugs and happy cheers of greeting was… nice, even if it was difficult for them to get use to at first. Over time, the greeting had become something for the blood siblings to look forward to upon arrival at home and immediately return to Ruby.

It was that moment of realization, that Neo and Roman vowed to ensure that Ruby's light never dimmed no matter what. Call it retribution for their sins, or their resolution to show her that the two of them really were sorry that she had almost faced death cruelly, but it was a mission that they would carry for the rest of their lives.

If there were a way to make Ruby happy, then they would do so. And in return… they would be there to get a little shine of her light.

Apparently, they were also willing to get their moment in her light by teasing her or groggily cuddling with her.

"Listen, you don't understand." Ruby said, still trying to explain that she was in fact not addicted to cookies or strawberries as Neo was nearly asleep the young teen's back. "Cookies and strawberries, they're not like coffee and cigarettes! You can't get addicted to them."

"Doesn't have to be a drug or caffeine for you to be addicted Red." Roman smirked, "I mean, there are plenty of people addicted to games and phones."

"But that's different!" Ruby retorted with a small pout, a sign that she was conceding to his point but still stubborn to refuse to change her view.

"Nope." Roman said with a pop, "You know Red, denial is always the first step in addiction."

Ruby frowned at that and crossed her arms in front of her defensively, "Well! If I'm addicted then fine! I'm not going to stop anyway." She declared, causing everyone to laugh or chuckle.

At that moment, Emerald came downstairs, fresh out of the shower and changed into her clothing for the day. She saw Neo cuddling into Ruby's back and frowned in envy. As Emerald was not that great at displaying her emotions, there were times when she found she wished she could show them as easily as Neo, but unfortunately there wasn't anything she could do about it.

Mercury, nearly finished with cooking, saw the look Emerald had casted toward the 2 shortest people in the house and smirked. "Aw, Emerald. Are you jealous that you're not in on the cuddling session?"

His question caused her to scowl at being caught, but she was hardly going to admit it. Instead, she huffed in annoyance, "Hardly. I'd rather her leech off of Neo instead of me."

Mercury mockingly cooed at Emerald, "You wish you were cuddled don't you?"

"I just said-" Emerald began, but was interrupted by him once more.

"Ruby, you really should let Emerald cuddle with you some time! She's over here sulking because you won't let her." He stated

"Aw!" Ruby drawled happily, "Really Emmy? You want to cuddle?" She asked expectantly.

Emerald snarled, "I never said I wanted to cuddle!"

"That's not a confirmation nor is it a denial." Mercury pointed out, causing the red-eyed girl to growl in frustration.

"It's okay Emmy, we can cuddle later!" Ruby happily stated

Another growl of frustration, but this time pink rose to Emerald's cheek as she began to speak, "I never said-"

" **Shut** _**up**_ " Roman and Cinder growled as they and Neo shot glares at the three (or two in Neo's case) of them while clutching their heads.

Their anger and glares effectively silenced Mercury and Emerald, though only caused Ruby to merely roll her eyes in amusement. Growing up with the three coffee addicts, she had gotten use to their grumpiness in the morning so their glares never had an effect on her. Still, she went over to the coffee machine with Neo still attached to her back, grabbed their own personal mugs that she had stolen herself – Cinder's was a basic red cup with yellow lettering that said World's #1 Sister, Roman's was orange with white lettering that said "Please wait…" and had a loading bar under it before continuing into "Sarcasm still loading", and Neo had a mug with a picture of a sleeping cat with the handle as a cat's tail - and began making their coffee just the way each individual liked it while Mercury finished the rest of the food and Emerald grabbed utensils.

Within just a few minutes, Ruby placed 3 cups of coffee on the side of the open bar and lowered Neo into the last available seat. Immediately, the three grumpy young adults greedily began drinking their coffee in unison and placed them back onto the counter with a sigh of relief as their headaches left.

"Thank you Ruby." Cinder happily sighed, taking another sip of coffee.

Ruby merely smiled as she went back to her place on the other side of the bar, placing her elbows on the marble surface and holding her head between her hands with a happy smile. "No problem. Feeling better?" She asked as Emerald placed utensils in front of each household member and at the two empty spots across Roman and Neo.

"Much." Cinder smiled

"Alright, breakfast is served!" Mercury declared as he began serving food to everyone and placing side dishes and extra servings in the center of the bar.

Ruby, Roman, and Neo, the three - all sharing sweet tooth's, had the same dishes of course, a pile of strawberry crepes with crème. Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald on the other hand, did not share the constant cravings for sugary confections, so all had omelets, toast, bacon strips, and a cup of fruit.

Emerald, of course, stood next to Ruby to eat while Mercury was on the inside of the bar. As everyone else began digging in, Ruby looked over at Emerald's food and quickly snatched her cup of fruit away.

"Hey! I was going to eat that!" Emerald protested

Ruby stuck her tongue out, "Well now I'm going to eat it!"

Emerald scowled before she reached over to Ruby's plate and took one of her crepes away, prompting the young teen to cry in protest.

"NOOO! MY DELICIOUS CREPE!"

Emerald mocked her by sticking her tongue out like Ruby had done before, "That's what you get for taking my fruit!"

"You will pay! **Pay** for this I tell you! VENGEANCE SHALL BE MINE!" Ruby declared with a shake of her fist. Right after her proclamation, Emerald had already cut a piece of Ruby's crepe with her utensils and stuffed it into her mouth.

"Shut up and eat your food!" Emerald stated with a roll of her eyes, causing Ruby to melt at the taste of strawberries and crème exploding across her taste buds.

"Thish ish sho gurd." Ruby gushed happily, mouth still full as she began gobbling up more pieces.

"Well I am the best at making crepes." Mercury smugly retorted as he took a bite from his crispy bacon.

"I beg to differ." Roman scoffed, "These are hardly sweet enough."

"Better than yours that is overfilled with sugar. You stuff your crepes with cream and strawberries, that's hardly going to be healthy for breakfast." Mercury quipped

"Breakfast is made to start your day off with a bang!" Roman declared, "Who needs healthy when you can feel good right off the bat?"

"Yeah, then have that sugar crash an hour after."

"We do not get sugar crashes." Roman stated, turning his nose up in the air. "We simply get annoyed with life and wish to take a break into the world of dreams." He stated as Neo nodded along with him in agreement. Ruby, Cinder, and Emerald weren't paying attention to them, as they had been busier eating (or watching Ruby eat) than to join in their conversation.

"Tell that to the cot you keep at base." Mercury frowned.

Cinder apparently chose that moment to listen in on their conversation and turned her head toward them. "… You keep a cot at base?" She asked, her eyes steeling and focused on Roman.

"Er." He began, face paling slightly at the intense stare.

Ruby gave a hard swallow to the food in her mouth and smacked her lips once to ensure she got the rest of the leftover flavor, "Yeah he does! Though, it's more like a bed, but it's really comfy. He keeps it in that supply closet in between Sector 14 and 19, which by the way sis, I really think we need to renumber those because it always confuses the newbs."

"Ruby…" Cinder sighed, "I told you before that the Sectors aren't meant to be in numerical order, besides, they all seem to remember the layout after a week."

"That's because they have no choice but to after they get lost for the thousandth time." Ruby quipped. "Anyway, so the bed is in that supply closet. Though, it's more like a room than a closet. And it's nice and warm, so I sleep in it sometimes when I'm bored."

That confession surprised Roman; he actually didn't know that Ruby napped in his secret cot. Regardless, now that she does and the fact is up in the air, the chance of the cot being taken away would be less likely now.

Cinder seemed to mull over the information and glanced over to Roman with a small nod, "Well, it hasn't interfered with your working capabilities… I suppose it should be fine granted it stays that way. Just so you know though, I do not appreciate you hiding this from me."

Roman gave a grin, "Won't happen again boss."

Cinder nodded before she returned to her food to finish it as Roman and Neo gave a small sigh of relief.

Roman looked up at Ruby to send her a silent thank you, only to see a quick, knowing wink thrown his way. Apparently she already knew the little rascal.

He looked back down with a small smile on his face, happy to know that Ruby had his back. Though his happiness was short lived upon noticing the time on his fancy white gold wrist watch with black leather straps. He let out a frustrated sigh at not being able to get second helpings for breakfast as he turned toward Neo, "We have to go."

Ruby frowned, "What? Already?" She whined, she had been looking forward to spending more time with the whole group.

Roman and Neo gave sympathetic smiles, "Sorry Red." Roman apologized, "But we got to get started on Cinder's next phase to stay on time."

"Oh," Ruby perked up at that, her demeanor visibly brightening as she turned her attention toward her sister, leaning forward a little and over the counter. "I forgot that the date was coming closer." She confessed sheepishly, causing everyone else to pause and looked surprise that she might possibly know what Cinder's plans were.

Though they all quickly dismissed it as Ruby's perk of being Cinder's sister. The older sibling had always confided in her younger sister rather easily, and despite Ruby's bubbly personality, she was extremely trustworthy and the least likely to admit any secrets. And when she came across a situation where she had to explain something not meant to be mentioned, she did well on provide a white lie or non-answer.

Regardless of how she knew, it was rather… grating to find that Cinder had yet to trust the rest of them enough to tell them what her plans were

Cinder smiled, "It's alright, you've been working very hard. It's no wonder it would slip your mind."

Ruby gave a bashful grin, "What part of the plan are we on now?"

"We're beginning work on Phase 2."

"Oooh." Ruby nodded in recognition, she threw a glance over to Roman and Neo and gave a wide smile. "Can I help?" She asked with an expectant look.

Before Roman could answer, Cinder decided to cut in and do his job for him.

"We're all going to base today, so I suppose it would be best to leave together." Cinder thoughtfully hummed, further surprising everyone else. The last time they had gone to base all together was a long time ago.

Ruby cheered though, happy to be spending a little more time with everyone at once. "When are we leaving? Are we going right now?" She asked, garnering a nod from Cinder.

"In a little while. You should finish your food first, then you can go ahead and get ready." Cinder suggested.

Ruby grinned and with natural lightning speed she shoved the rest of her food on her plate into her mouth, finished half of her glass of milk, took the extra plate of crepes and shoveled them into her mouth, and drank the rest of her milk, prompting a look of disgust from Emerald at having to witness Ruby practically swallow food. Then, she jumped back and away from the bar in excitement, jauntily saluted that elicited a light chuckle from her sister and an amused grin from Neo, before dashing off up the stairs to get ready.

The moment she left, everyone turned to Cinder, and Roman especially had a scowl of disapproval.

"She knows?" He hissed, "Cinder, I understand that she's your sister and you tell her everything, but that should not mean that we are left in the dark about your plan. We have no idea what we stole the dust for, why we needed to build an organization, or any other reason for anything we've done! All we know is that whatever you're planning is big, but we don't even know if we're doing anything correctly without your approval! We can't have you looking over our shoulder all the time only to yell at us for doing something wrong, when we don't even know why it's wrong. And now, Ruby's in school and we're not entirely sure why and we have no idea how to… work around Ruby." It was a round about way of saying that they didn't know if Ruby needed protection or not.

"Yeah Cinder," Mercury agreed, rubbing his neck nervously for speaking against his boss. "I mean, Emerald and I know that Ruby is helping us gather information from the school for us, but we don't know what its for or even if its…" He trailed off, as everyone understood what he meant.

They didn't know if her being in school was worth it if it meant her being gone from the house.

"You need to tell us the plan," Roman insisted.


	9. Provenance Part 2

 

Golden eyes stared down at pale fingers, intertwined with their counterparts as the sides of their hands were placed on a cool surface, thumbs tapping against one another in a silent beat. Silence loomed over the members of the household, all attention fixated on Cinder as she mulled over Roman's words.

Despite how long they have all lived together and the amount of time the other's had worked under Cinder, she still had difficulty putting faith and trust in them. The idea of any one of them eager to stab her in the back given the chance to save themselves lingered in her mind, whispering in her ear that betrayal was easy to come. It wasn't until recently during the past few months though, that their loyalty was tested and were forced to live with her while she was at her worst. Not once did they blame her or Ruby for leaving, brushing it off their shoulders instead with understanding. Those who had truly suffered, were the other members of the organization and the White Fang, but even then they seemed to understand (though also knew it was not a justification) why Cinder was acting the way she did. If Roman, Mercury, Emerald, and Neo were all willing to stay with her despite her acting as so, then their loyalty ran much deeper than she had expected.

And… Maybe it was time for her to tell them of her plan.

"I… wanted to be feared." Cinder began, closing her fingers around each other as everyone gave her his or her utmost attention and silence. "I wanted to be strong. I wanted to be powerful… I wanted the world to crumble into pieces, because the world gave me _nothing._ " She said through gritted teeth, closing her eyes as she remembered that feeling of loneliness, the feeling of helplessness, of being useless, of being unwanted every time she was cast aside that she had gone through half of her life by.

She had grown in a cold and quiet house, with unloving parents who hardly spared a glace her way when they were there. With so little interaction and constantly being ignored, it was only natural that Cinder would grow to be rather apathetic. School was not much better as every other child parted from her, scared of the lack of emotion displayed on her face. Teachers wouldn't call on her as they figured she wanted to be left alone. When she came home from school, there was never a greeting, and no matter how many times she would try to speak to them, only silence would answer back. Her parents would sometimes get up to leave, the only indication that they heard her, but simply did not care to talk to their daughter and as they did so, they would never look at her. It was as though she wasn't even there.

Maybe, once upon a time, they had cared for her, maybe even spoke to her, but that fleeting image was quick to disappear in the face of dominant memories of their negligence. Which is why… it was no surprise to her 10 year old self when she one day came home to an empty house.

There was no note or indication of his or her previous presence. Nothing.

They just… left.

So Cinder did too. She had no business in an empty house and seeing as she had no other belongings, it was easy to abandon the building.

For the next few days, she had simply wandered the streets. The nearby orphanages wouldn't take her in, as they were already over crowded. She had tried stopping by restaurants or stores, asking if she could have any spare food, but was always met a gesture to shoo her away and never a solid reason as to why.

It was only at the end of the week when Cinder's stomach was aching from hunger that she had considered digging through the garbage to get food. Before she could even open garbage bin though, she felt a hand placed on her shoulder, causing her to whirl around to face a scruffy looking woman with black hair.

Cinder didn't get to question or even react before a paper bag with food was thrust into her arms.

"Eat." The woman ordered.

The smell of food wafting up into her nostrils and the warmth of it through the bag thawed the stiffness out of her trembling cold hands was so enticing, that she didn't even bother to be suspicious of this strange woman. With her stomach rumbling from the scent, Cinder tore open the bag and wolfed down the burgers that had been inside.

"Slow down, otherwise you'll upset your stomach." The woman cautioned as she took a seat by Cinder.

The young child barely registered the woman's words, but was able to force herself to listen and slow down in her eating.

The woman waited until Cinder had finished eating to ask, "Why are you out here kid?"

Cinder blankly looked up at the woman before looking down to the ground. "Parents left." She muttered

The woman showed a fraction of a frown, but brought the corners of her mouth back into its' neutral state. "There isn't anyone else to take care of you?"

"No." Cinder replied. Both of her parents had no siblings, and both sets of grandparents had already passed away, so there wasn't anyone for her to go to. A fleeting thought came across her mind, causing Cinder to look back up at the woman, though still with a blank face. "Can you?"

The woman seemed to hesitate for a moment, but whatever thought she had was quashed in an instant, as she replied with a simple, "No."

Cinder seemed to shrug the denial off, as though she had expected the answer. "Okay."

The woman gave a contemplative frown at that answer as she looked at Cinder, inspecting her face for any indication of the woman's words having negative impact. There was nothing though; not a twitch down from the corners of her mouth, no sign of eyes welling, no shaky breath, nothing. Cinder had accepted that answer as fact and for some reason that made the woman feel even worse than if Cinder had reacted, because it was as though the child had already given up on life.

"Listen kid… I'm sorry I can't take care of you, but I have too many of my own problems to be looking after someone. And I know that you don't have anyone to do that for you, but that doesn't mean you can't take care of yourself." The woman began, "You need to stay strong, survive – you need to show those people who left you that you would not end up alone like they expected, because you were worth something. And they didn't see that."

"How?" Cinder asked plainly.

"Well…" The woman paused to think about it. There was one option, but the woman didn't exactly want to point the child down that path. She was just… too young to be a mercenary… Though as the woman looked back at the child, seeing nothing but dead and dull eyes, she figured it might be better for Cinder to live from contract to contract. At the very least, it would give her a sense of purpose to live, even if it's just for a short while. "Here, I know a guy that can help you get started with some work. It's not… the best, and you'll have to work hard to prove yourself, but it'll help you get some money."

Cinder shrugged, "Okay" she agreed, anything to prevent her stomach from feeling hunger again.

The woman took her to a rather upscale looking bar on the outskirts of town and introduced Cinder to the bar owner, Xiong, and asked him to help Cinder get started. Although he protested at first, the woman was very persistent. Finally, he relented and said that he would help Cinder by training her at least, provided she show exceptional skill by the end of the month.

It seemed enough to the stranger, as she had given a firm nod and wished Cinder "good luck" before exiting the establishment.

That was the last and only time Cinder had seen the stranger.

Xiong had made it clear to Cinder that he wanted her out as soon as possible, so began putting her through a strict training regimen that… Cinder actually took to rather well.

The bar owner was impressed at the speed Cinder learned, and knew for sure that she would easily obtain contracts.

She didn't disappoint.

As the months went by, the prices for her contracts skyrocketed. She completed each mission cleanly and smoothly. Her employer would pay her, and cast her off to the side immediately after. Regardless, she constantly had a roof over her head, and her stomach never felt that pain of hunger again.

… Or maybe she had become so numb to the world… she couldn't even feel hunger anymore.

Not once did an employer ever thank her or socialize with her, she always stood off to the side, having to watch, steal, kill…

She was a tool, always told and directed to what problem needed to be "fixed"; A mere pawn that could be easily disposed of.

And as the years went by, Cinder began to loathe the concept more and more.

It was only so simple for her thoughts to turn to that of vengeance as her hatred veered its' head toward the world. Her life seemed so unfair, what did she do to deserve such a fate where she was given nothing? Why was it that she was so easily casted aside? Why is it that no one needed her? Wanted her?

… Loved her?

The only times she was called upon it seemed, was for power… Power she was all to willing to lend in hopes that this time, the employer would want to keep her… Hope that was easily crushed.

It was _**frustrating**_ that no matter what she did; it never seemed enough for someone to want her to stay. How no one would reach out for companionship and how she was easily brushed off whenever she happened to offer to do so.

Even when Roman and Neo offered for the three to stay together, it was out of convenience… Not friendship.

Trading knowledge on certain individuals to obtain money and for power to continue on surviving on a daily basis.

The idea left a bad taste. Just how miserable and cruel does the world have to be that trading knowledge was… convenient to survive? How cruel was it that an individual born with detestable parents, or casted out on the streets, or born with animal traits needed _**power**_ to survive?

If that was how it is, then Cinder vowed that she would become powerful enough to become a force to be reckoned with. She would become powerful enough for the world to shake upon hearing the barest whispers of her name. She would obtain so much power, that no one would dare cast her aside or forget about her.

The world would have no other choice but to acknowledge her.

Which is why, when someone asking if she wanted a job that would have a huge impact on the world anonymously contacted her when she was 13… It was easy for her to accept.

She didn't bother concerning herself with asking why and how the anonymous person knew how to contact her, but it didn't matter… All Cinder knew was that she would use that person to help her achieve her goal of making the world fall before her.

That was her mindset as she walked toward the designated location for their meeting on Christmas day as the snow gently fell around her. Due to the holiday, everyone had gone indoors to celebrate with their family and loved ones, leaving the area surrounding her quiet, leaving the only the sound of her feet crunching the snow and her thoughts to accompany her.

"E-ex-cuse me!"

The words were croaked out, the voice cracking at the break in the first word, but the sudden break of silence still caused Cinder to snap her head up and instinctually whirl around in surprise, eyes glancing around as she searched for the source. When she didn't find anyone around her to speak to, she huffed. Her breath fogged up into the air while she dug her hands into her coat pockets as she turned around to continue on her way.

She didn't even take one step before she felt a light tug on her pants, halting her movements.

Once again startled, Cinder glanced down at her leg to find the source. Only to see a dirty little girl, her clothing and red cloak were worn and tattered, seemingly too big for her small, skinny body, and her face was smeared with dirt making her already pale features so much more prominent, but what captured Cinder's attention… were the little girl's wide and curious silver eyes that were staring up at her as though she were the next wonder of the world.

The sight itself though, was already a peculiar thing and Cinder had to wonder why she was being spoken to, so with an arch of an eyebrow, she asked, "Yes…?"

The acknowledgement seemed to make the child happy as white teeth flashed a smile between blue tinged lips toward the teen, "I-I'm R-Ruby Sh-Sha-ow W-Wlong." She stuttered over her name through chattering teeth, "Wh-What's your name?"

"Cinder…" The teen stated cautiously, warily looking at the freezing child. Why was she out there? Where was her family?

The cold didn't seem to deter Ruby though, as she gave a bright grin to Cinder. "C-Can you h-help me l-look for heaven?" She weakly asked in a near whisper.

Cinder's eyebrows shot up in question before she looked around, hoping someone would come by and save her from socializing with this naïve child. As expected though, no one came forth from the empty space surrounding the two of them. Cinder sighed as she looked back down at the red hooded girl warily, "You mean Haven? If so, you have a long way to go kid."

Ruby huffed, her body was so cold though… that her breath did not even fog up in the air, "No." She firmly said, "I-I mean Heaven." She proclaimed as she pointed up to the sky.

Cinder stared at the child, slowly casting her gaze up to the dark, cloudy sky, and brought her gaze back down. "… Why?" She asked out of curiosity.

Ruby tried to puff her chest out in pride, though it made an awkward sight as it only made her clothing slide around her body from the sudden change. "T-To be with m-my mommy!" She answered, "Uncle, P-Papa, a-and Y-Yang said m-mommy w-went to heaven. B-But P-Papa is sad b-because sh-she's gone and I-I miss her, so I-I'm going so I-I can be with h-her."

Cinder stared at Ruby for a moment, before a laugh erupted from her chest at the absurdity of the child's naivety.

"Wh-what's so funny?" Ruby pouted, her purple bottom lip jutting out.

"Little red," Cinder chuckled, her laugher dying down before she gave a serious look to the child. If no one was going to tell her now, Cinder might as well take the job before the world crushes someone this naïve. "Heaven doesn't exist."

Ruby pursed her lips in disapproval, "Y-Yes it does! Y-You take it b-back! Heaven d-does exist! I-It does!"

Cinder frowned, narrowing her eyes at the child. "No. It doesn't." She gritted.

"Does too!" Ruby persisted

"Does not." Cinder reiterated

"Does too!"

"Does not."

"Does too! Does too!" Ruby continued, this time with a weak stomp of her foot that barely even made the snow crunch beneath it.

"No! It does not!" Cinder stated, her voice rising to disturb the air around them as she had enough of this childish foolishness. "Your family lied to you! There is no heaven, it doesn't exist!" Cinder had long ago casted away the thought of a higher being, of a higher place, because if there was one, then she was certain that she would not have led such a lonely life. "Your mom didn't go anywhere, she died! Which means she's gone forever and is never coming back! Ever!"

Silver eyes welled up at being shouted at, but Ruby refused to back down. "Y-You're the l-liar!" Her yell barely near at normal levels of speaking, "Heaven does exist! E-Everyone goes there! P-Papa said so! H-He s-said that everyone that is l-loved goes there after they d-die! A-And I L-Love my mommy! S-So she has to be there!"

The proclamation shook Cinder to the core, as her own amber eyes welled up. She may not have believed in a God, or a heaven, but the idea of some far away paradise that could only be reached by having someone love another… was just too sad for her, because she knew that if such a place existed… She would never get to meet it.

Ruby seemed to have noticed the change in Cinder's demeanor, as her own shoulders slouched a little to calm down as she looked up at the teen with worry. "H-Hey. Wh-What's wrong?" She asked, her head tilting to the side. "W-Why are you sad?"

Cinder gritted her teeth and clenched her fists in annoyance from being caught. "I'm not sad." She denied, though her eyes still thickened with water as they threatened to fall.

"Yes you are!" Ruby insisted with a frown, her own eyes mirroring Cinder's. Though she had no shame in showing it. "B-but that's okay, b-because I'm s-sad too." And as though they were given permission, Ruby's tears began to trail down her face.

Cinder watched a lone tear fall from the corner of the child's eye, before meeting silver irises. "Why are you sad?" She asked, not entirely sure why she did though.

"B-Because y-you're sad." Ruby answered simply, her voice hitching at the end.

The overwhelming sense of compassion that was sent her way caused a knot to form in Cinder's chest and her tears to fall as her knees began to shake. It was only a few seconds later when a sob broke out of her throat as her legs gave out and caused her to collapse to the cold ground.

Never in her life had anyone paid so much attention to her, to feel sad with her, to cry for her.

Her tears fell faster, and her nose began to run even more so when Ruby decided to climb in to her lap to hug her, crying into her shoulder as well in comfort. For years, Cinder had longed for contact such as this, that she could not help but wrap her arms around the tiny girl in a firm embrace, and bury her face into the dirty crook of Ruby's pale and bony neck.

… But Cinder did not mind, as she relished this seemingly loving gesture.

It took several minutes of crying to pass, until she began to calm down. Leaning back to look into Ruby's eyes, she slid her hands at Ruby's frail shoulders to keep her in place and rubbed them comfortingly, hoping it would be enough to keep the child there. "You don't even know why I'm crying…" Cinder stated with a watery chuckle.

"Y-You're crying b-because you're sad…" Ruby stated, punctuating it with a light sniffle.

Cinder let out another light laugh. The little girl was so simple, so straightforward… and much too kind and compassionate. "Do you want to know why I'm sad Ruby?"

The child nodded slowly.

"I'm sad because… If heaven exists, then I won't go there…" The teenager said with a sad smile.

"… But why?"

"Because…" Cinder sighed, "I've done some bad things, like hurt people and because, no one loves me. So I won't be able to go there."

Ruby stared at the older girl, letting the information sink in. Once it did, she let out a wail as loud as she could.

Startled at the sudden cry, Cinder worriedly ducked her head down to get a closer look at Ruby, barely tightening her grip on Ruby's shoulders. "Ruby? What's wrong?"

"I-It's just… so sad." Ruby hiccupped, her shaky blue hands coming up to her face as she wiped her tears from her eyes. "Everyone needs love… Everyone."

"It's okay, I'm used to it…" Cinder softly said with a sad smile, bringing her own hand up to brush some of Ruby's hair off to the side.

"No!"

"No?" Cinder asked confused.

"I-If no one loves you, th-then I will! She stated with determination, throwing her small arms and herself around Cinder as hard as she could to give her the hardest hug she could muster.

The proclamation shocked Cinder, as it was all she ever wanted in her life, that she couldn't help but allow her tears to fall once again as she wrapped her arms around the frail body.

The feelings of happiness overwhelmed her, making her body feel warm and giddy against the cold and gloomy weather. To be specific though, those past few minutes of conversing with Ruby, made her feel so many different emotions that she never felt before, emotions that she could never comprehend. And now that she had felt them, now that she was being given the hand of being loved…

She refused to let it go.

Which is why, it was only natural for Cinder to ask Ruby to promise to stay with her in a near desperate tone. For whatever reason, Ruby happily agreed, but it didn't matter, as Cinder would have someone to love her and to love in return.

So she thought as they began walking back to Cinder's apartment.

During the walk, Ruby had collapsed into the snow. The child was so light that she didn't make any sound with her steps, and Cinder didn't realize it until the grip in her hand loosened and slipped out.

Her heart seized in her chest upon seeing Ruby on the ground, dazedly starring at nothing in particular, slowly moving back and forth and showing mostly the white of her eyes as her breaths were slow and shallow. Her lips, ears, and fingers seemed bluer than before as she simply laid on stomach in the snow.

"Ruby?!" Cinder shouted, kneeling down to her side as she gently rolled her onto her back.

The lack of response made Cinders heart sink more as she hurriedly pulled her leather glove off of a hand and brought the back of her palm to Ruby's forehead.

It was cold… The temperature emitting from her forehead was much colder than it should be.

The tightness in Cinder's chest grew bigger at the prospect of losing someone she had just obtained.

Why didn't Cinder notice it before?! The lack of heat rising into the cold air from Ruby's breath, the blue lips, the blue fingers… Furthermore, Ruby was far too light, much too skinny. Clothes that seemed to fit the average child were loose and baggy on her… Her cheeks were sunken in, her collarbones much more noticeable than it should be for a child…

How long had Ruby been out in the cold? How long had she gone without food?

… How long did she have left until death would take her?

Cinder gritted her teeth as she quickly took her gloves slid them over Ruby's blue fingers. Following soon after, Cinder unbuttoned her coat and wrapped it around the little girl before gathering Ruby into her arms and lifting her off the ground. Cinder would not allow Ruby to be taken away from her, not now when she had just felt what unconditional love was like…

So she hurriedly ran back to the apartment, demanding Roman and Neo to help her nurse Ruby back to health. Cinder allowed Ruby to take her bed, ensuring to make the temperature gradually change so the child's body could adapt to it. She made sure to help the weak child eat soup, gently holding her up and slowly letting the fluid slip down Ruby's throat. And for the first time… Cinder prayed, no, _begged_ destiny to save Ruby. She did all this every day, with the occasional help from Roman and Neo until Ruby seemed healthy enough once more.

Though, Cinder's relief was short lived as Ruby had gone missing that same day. Thankfully, Neo had found her that same day, but unfortunately Ruby's long exposure to the cold weather made her return to being bedridden.

When finally, Ruby was healthy enough to be up, moving about, and content with her selection of personal belongings and entertainment that Cinder had acquired for her, did relief finally settled.

Roman seemed intent on shaking it though one day as they were all gathered around the small living room and playing a board game with Ruby. "Ruby… Why were you outside by yourself before Cinder found you?" he asked in a soft, gentle tone, as though afraid if he spoke any louder or harshly, Ruby might run away.

It had been decided, after much insistence, that Roman would question Ruby on her background. He stated that they had to know in case she did have a family that was out looking for her

"Looking for my mom." Ruby answered, her voice as clear as a bell.

"What about your other family?" Roman asked, worriedly glancing over to Cinder who was chewing the inside of her cheek. "You told Cinder here that you have an…" Roman swallowed hard as his voice started to become shaky. "Uncle, Dad, and… a sister?"

Ruby frowned, her eyebrows furrowing together in confusion as she looked up in thought. "I don't remember…" She answered.

The three teens seemed relieved at that, though worriedly glanced at each other once again.

"Her memory must have been affected during the time she was malnourished and in hypothermia…" Cinder stated, causing Roman and Neo to nod in agreement.

"We'll have to find and check up on her family…" Roman said. "See what's going on."

Cinder nodded in approval, but her attention was brought back to Ruby as she spoke.

"So I don't have a family?" Ruby asked with a small pout.

Cinder found that she didn't like seeing Ruby sad, so she tried her best to reassure her. "We don't know," Cinder said, slightly wincing at how awkward it sounded. "But, tell you what, I can take care of you for as long as you want." She said with a small smile.

Ruby turned her gaze to Cinder, "Like… a sister?"

The title warmed Cinder, causing her smile to widen as she nodded. "Yes. Like a sister."

To make it official, Ruby threw herself toward Cinder, wrapping a much stronger hug around her than on the first day, a giggle of joy accompanying this hug instead of a sob.

Cinder cherished it.

After that, it didn't take long after for a routine to start forming with Ruby. The apartment that was cold and silent before, turned bright and filled with laughter with Ruby always being the source. She had no qualms roping someone in to playing, talking, or reading with her, though it was mostly spent with Cinder as she was able to afford not to work during the day.

Any time Cinder spent with Ruby, the warm feeling of happiness rose up no matter what, so acting silly around her new little sister just came to her naturally. At the same time, Cinder found herself being very protective of Ruby, whether it is a simple stumble to the ground or a stranger talking to her, Cinder was quick to rush to Ruby's side.

The protective feeling made Cinder realize something though. Now that she had someone to love and cherish, someone who easily returned the sentiments, the world could no longer fall into ruin before her. Someone like Ruby would never be able to make it through such a place.

At the same time though… Cinder worried that the world she grew up in, that Roman and Neo grew up in, the cold, ruthless, and unfair world as it is would crush Ruby.

Cinder could not let that happen… She refused to allow it. But to do that, she still needed power, she still had to show the world that she was a force to be reckoned with.

… She had to make the world kneel before her, ready to accept any whimsical order she would cast in its' direction. It would turn into her kingdom.

But what is a kingdom without an army?

Recruiting members to her cause seemed much more simpler than it should have been, as Cinder was able to gratify to those who led unfortunate lives. Whether it be providing; a roof over their head, food, water, solitude, companionship… the basic necessities of living, and her army grew and grew as months passed. Talking to Adam, the leader of the White Fang, seemed much too easy as well as she had told him of her plan. Though, once more, it did not take much convincing so long as the Faunus obtained equality, but Cinder was certain, had Ruby not been with her that day asking, playing, and sharing food with the other Faunus, Cinder might have had more difficulty convincing Adam.

It seemed all too simple, but perhaps it was meant to happen. Other mercenaries that Cinder had worked with, gangs she had a run with, assassins, contacts, they were all ready to topple the kingdoms that did nothing to help them. Everyone was angry at the world for giving them so much pain, that it was time to take fate into their own hands. It was time that they stood on top of those who stepped all over them. It was time, that they made all the other kingdoms succumb before them, and build a new one where they would get the treatment they deserve.

"And that… is the plan." Cinder said in a foreboding tone, her hands still calmly resting against the countertop.

Roman, Emerald, Mercury, and Neo all stared at Cinder in silence with wide eyes. The air around them seemed unmoving as Cinder calmly sipped her forgotten beverage. It wasn't until Roman broke the silence by filling it with a maniacal laugh.

Slowly after, the rest began to follow with much quieter versions, thus confusing Cinder.

"This is insane! Taking over the world!" Roman stated lightly smacking his forehead with the heel of his palm as his laughter slowly died down. "If it were anyone else, I would think they were out of their minds. But with you… With you it's definitely possible." He said, voice growing serious as everyone else nodded in agreement.

Cinder allowed a small smirk to show on her face, pleased that the four of them approved of her plan. Though, if she were more honest, she would have shown her relief.

"I'm ready!" Ruby sang as she came bounding down the stairs in her usual Grimm looking garb and made everyone turn their heads toward her grin.

Everyone's features softened upon the sight of her. Her large and bright smile that reached up to wide silver eyes that always looked at them filled with unconditional love and wonder.

It was a reminder to them that with her, even the most impossible things seemed possible to them.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this isn't as long or if it seemed pretty boring compared to my other chapters. ;_; I also apologize for taking so long to update this story _ It got really busy for me and I couldn't focus on it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy Cinder's version of the prologue and the revelation of the plan!


	10. Enclosure

Blake's eyes scanned the page in front of her, none of the words registering in her mind, though she turned the leaf regardless upon reaching the bottom. Her legs were crossed as she lounged against the headboard of her bed, her foot bouncing to an unheard beat.

Her thoughts were still locked on the strangely dressed individual at the docks, her suspicion of them being Ruby wavering after voicing her concern to Yang and Weiss.

Weiss had reasoned that despite how the stranger and Roman might have similarities to Ruby's fighting style, it wasn't concrete enough to accuse Ruby of having an affiliation to a terrible organization and deplorable criminal. It could just be a coincidence that they're similar, nothing more.

Yang had also joined in, informing the two that she had seen Roman Torchwick with some other girl when she was out. She hadn't known Roman was a wanted criminal (as she hadn't been paying much attention to the news), but had mistaken the other girl for someone else. She theorized the possibility of the other girl being the strangely dressed individual, as the two were nearly or exactly the same height.

With sounding arguments, Blake reasoned that her suspicions were misplaced… But there was something in her gut telling her that she wasn't wrong, and that feeling was difficult to shake off. The only way to rid of her doubts would probably be to ask Ruby herself, but the team leader had been gone all weekend and Blake wasn't certain when she would have an opportunity to ask.

The sound of the doorknob rattling shook Blake out of her thoughts, her head snapping up as she saw Ruby come rushing in with heavy breaths.

… Evidently, that opportunity would be now when Blake was the least prepared.

"Oh! Hi Blake!" Ruby absentmindedly greeted, heading straight for her trunk at the foot of her bed and pulling out her uniform. "Sorry for all the noise, I sort of woke up late and had to run here."

"It's fine…" Blake said, politely turning her head away as Ruby quickly stripped herself from her clothing.

"Where are Weiss and Yang?" Ruby asked, her voice muffled.

"Getting breakfast."

"Oh… Lucky…" Ruby muttered in slight envy, "I'm done!" She announced, allowing Blake to look back in her general direction. "How was your weekend?"

"It was… fine." Black carefully said, gauging Ruby's face for a reaction. "Weiss, Yang, and I ran into some trouble at the docks."

Nothing of note seemed to fleet across Ruby's face other than sympathy. "Geez, that sucks… Hopefully it wasn't too bad?"

Blake mentally frowned at the lack of reaction, and decided to push. "We ran into Roman Torchwick and a few members of the White Fang.

Ruby's eyes widened, her head tilting to the side as though unsure of what to say next. "Oh… uh…Are you guys okay?" She asked, concern showing on her face. "What happened?"

Blake lightly shook her head, "We're fine. They got away though and we had to talk to the police."

"Oh." Ruby huffed in annoyance. "That sucks."

Blake made a noncommittal hum as silence stretched between the two. The doubt and suspicion had yet been erased from her mind. Ruby continued gathering her school materials, seemingly unaware of Blake's inner turmoil.

Finally, Blake gritted her teeth. She couldn't allow herself to continue living with Ruby while doubt and suspicion lingered within her mind, she knew that if she continued with it, then she would spend every waking moment over analyzing and paranoid over each of Ruby's actions. So she had to take this moment now, when it was just the two of them, to question her leader… and hopefully erase any and all mistrust residing within herself.

"Hey Ruby?" Blake began hesitantly, closing her book as she swung her legs to the edge of the bed.

"Yeah?"

Blake fidgeted with her paperback, drawing her thumb against the pages to cause them zip by. "While we-" Blake shook her head, Weiss and Yang had nothing against Ruby, this suspicion was her own to deal with. "While I was fighting against Roman and his… associates, I kind of thought… they sort of fought like you."

Ruby spun around with a perplexed expression, "O…kay?"

Blake bit the inside of her cheek as she tried to gather her words. There really was no way to ask nicely - after all, an accusation is still an accusation. "Are you affiliated with or related to him in any way?" she finally blurted.

Her team leader seemed to freeze at the question, until her eyes narrowed, her usual bright silver eyes turning into steel as she folded her arms across her chest. "Why would you ask that?"

Flustered, Blake dropped the book into her lap. "It's just, they fought so similarly to you and-"

"So?" Ruby snapped, "Just because I fight like a crook I suddenly am one?"

"No!" Blake insisted, "It's just- it's a peculiar fighting style to have. It's not something you would come up with by yourself." She winced at her terrible reasoning.

"Most people don't even come up with their own 'styles'" Ruby grounded out, her shoulders becoming tense.

"I know. That- That didn't come out the way I intended."

"Then what are you trying to say?"

Blake swallowed hard, her Faunus traits flickering out of anxiety as she shrank back at the annoyance and anger seemingly rolling off of her team leader. "I wanted to know if you were working or grew up with criminals."

Silence stretched through the room, causing Blake's ears to twitch in apprehension. Finally, Ruby scoffed, a dark chuckle escaping from her lips soon after as she shook her head and dropped her arms.

"I can't believe you would-" Ruby began muttering, but stopped herself short as she lifted her head to look straight into Blake's eyes.

"I grew up on the streets you know. We had to move from kingdom to kingdom and find different means to survive. So yeah, you could say I grew up with 'criminals'. No more than how you did yourself though." She stated, causing Blake to wince at the sudden sharp pain of guilt cutting into her chest, her faunus ears drooping to showcase her feelings. "My family did their best to provide for me and themselves though, some had to become mercenaries and others had to do some risky underground tournament fighting in order to have a decent income and keep a roof over our heads. But, because of how dangerous their jobs were, they had to teach me how to fight in that 'peculiar', and apparently criminal style. It took years for them to find a steady and stable job and income so we wouldn't have to worry about how much longer we had until we were back on the streets."

"I-I'm sorry Ruby, I didn't-" Blake tried to voice out.

Ruby interrupted her, waving her off as she muttered, "Whatever. Let's just go before we're late to class."

Blake frowned as Ruby turned to the door, shoving her hands into her red coat pockets as she stalked out out. Breathing out a soft sigh, Blake got off of her bed, grabbed her school bag, and regretted ever thinking Ruby was a criminal as she followed her out.

… So why couldn't she still shake off the feeling in her gut telling her that there was still something… _off_ about Ruby?

She shook her head, reclining her head down to stare at the floor of the hallway. It didn't matter. Ruby was her leader, her friend. She should be able to trust Ruby. Ruby was different from-

Blake clenched her teeth, bringing her hands up to hug herself loosely around her waist. No, she wouldn't think about it… What mattered was that Ruby was _trustworthy_. Ruby had her back, Ruby had nothing but good intentions for her… Why else would Ruby stand up for her during her fight with Weiss?

Blake nodded to herself, glancing up to the back of Ruby's head as she assured herself. Ruby was different. Ruby was trustworthy.

Due to the two ending their conversation on a bad note, tension and awkwardness ensued between the both of them for the rest of the day and throughout their classes. The two wouldn't even look in the other's way, even when one of them spoke - Ruby out of annoyance, and Blake out of guilt. It caused a lot of perplexity to rise within Yang and Weiss as they had never seen Ruby so annoyed for so long before, and were curious as to what happened between their usually cheerful leader and Blake.

As Ruby had been absent during lunch, Blake took that opportunity to tell Yang and Weiss about the events that had transpired that morning.

Yang and Weiss didn't blame or reprimand her, fully understanding where it was that she was coming from and were actually proud of her for wanting to erase her suspicion, but they were worried about whether Ruby and Blake's conflict would drag throughout the day and into the studying session their team had promised with JNPR later that evening. Their worries especially grew when Ruby murmured that she would see them later after their last class and stormed away as JNPR came up to them to confirm their plans.

"Is everything alright?" Pyrrha asked in concern, emerald eyes flickering between the direction Ruby had walked off to and the remaining team.

Blake fidgeted under everyone's gaze, "There was a bit of a…" She bit the inside of her cheek as she tried to think of an accurate description. "…misunderstanding on my part, and I made her upset." She finished, looking down at her feet guiltily.

"Oh, well I'm certain the two of you will work things out." Pyrrha offered with a consolidating smile.

Blake lifted her head up, meeting Pyrrha's comforting expression and nodded. "Thank you." She looked at her feet in thought and nodded to herself. "I'll be sure to apologize to her before we all study together."

"You don't have to," Yang said, "I'm sure Ruby will be fine after she blows some steam. That's how it usually works for me at least."

Weiss gave a small shrug, "Or she might simply wish to forget all about the incident and ignore it for all we know."

Realization seemed to dawn on Yang's face as she turned to her, "Now we know why you're so quick to express your opinions…"

Weiss bristled at the accurate analysis, "I resent that."

Blake shook her head with a light chuckle, "No… I think this is something I want to do."

Yang and Weiss glanced over to her in uncertainty, but upon seeing her determination, allowed smiles to grace their faces as they nodded in agreement. Yang clapped Blake on the shoulder, "Don't worry, we're with you."

Blake smiled at the gesture, taking solace in the fact that she had people to rely on.

Ruby hummed a listless tune as she sauntered down the hallway, hands lazily swinging by her sides and eyes scanning between passing and idle students without a care in the world. Occasionally, a random student would greet her or tell her a variation of good job and she would happily wiggle her fingers in greeting or thanks. If she knew someone well enough, she would stop for a short chat before asking them, "Have you seen team CRDL today? I need to talk to them." And then following the direction she was pointed to shortly after departing.

Upon finding CRDL chatting with each other though, she grinned and hastened her pace, not bothering to hide her presence. The moment one of the boys saw her though, he quickly informed the other three, causing all 4 of them to glance over and immediately pretend they didn't see anything as they all turned and tried to scurry away.

They only needed to be threatened a few times to start trying their hardest to avoid her.

"Hey Cardin!" Ruby cheerfully stated with a wide and bright smile on her face. "I hope you and your team had a nice weekend!"

To the boys, it might as well have been a smile from a demon itself as they all paled and tried to quicken their pace. To no avail though, as she somehow managed to catch up and grab a hold of their leader's upper arm.

"I need your help with something." She said with a smile that made no room for defiance.

Cardin gave a small, wary smile as he tensely nodded. "Yeah. Sure. Anything." So long as he never has to be half encased in ice, have cool metals touch his face or neck, and be threatened and told how his life will be ruined ever again.

"Great!" Ruby beamed, "Let's go to the library then." She stated, letting go of his arm and walking ahead.

Cardin and his team warily glanced at each other, hoping that the sight of one another would help collect their bearings before timidly following after, making sure they were a few steps behind. They didn't bother voicing out their questions though, out of fear of the possibility of irritating Ruby.

They had never seen her angry of course, as she typically had a mischievous and predator like smile on her face instead, but the idea of it sent chills down their spine.

"I just need help to gather some books." Ruby said, glancing back as she walked a little slower until she was in step with Cardin. The unexpected action made his eyebrows rise in surprise, though Ruby didn't seem to notice as she continued on. "It'll be too much for me to search for and carry by myself, so I thought you guys would be happy to be productive with your free time and help. You're welcome." She smiled

Cardin nearly groaned at her statement, as it could not be any further from his feelings, but he swallowed it down and forced another smile. "Thanks…" He choked out.

One corner of Ruby's mouth stretched up, causing her grin to turn into a smirk of amusement. She didn't say anything though, as she continued to lead the 4 over to the library. Once they arrived, she hurried over to the librarian, Sergeant, with a huge smile.

"Ruby! My favorite student!" Sergeant grinned in a soft voice, "How was your weekend?"

Team CRDL's eyes bulged at the happy expression on the librarian, who was known to have a grouch and rigid demeanor, ready to hold a finger to their lips to hush any loud students, and would only grunt when spoken to as they checked books out. To see them happily and willingly talking to a student, it was as though they had stepped into another dimension.

Ruby's body seemingly relaxed as her eyes brightened and gleamed in happiness. "It was fantastic! How about yours?"

Sergeant chuckled, "Take a guess."

A knowing smirk made itself known on Ruby's face, "Spent building your aeroships?"

Cardin's eyebrows shot up in surprise, he didn't know their librarian built planes.

Sergeant nodded happily, "But of course."

"Were you able to finish that last one we talked about?" Ruby inquired curiously.

A light chuckle and shake of a head, "No, I'm still working on it, but you can expect it to be finished within two weeks time!"

"That's great!" Ruby exclaimed, lightly bouncing on the balls of her feet and giving light, soft claps of excitement. "You have got to let me watch you fly it!"

A soft smile spread itself on Sergeant's face, "I wouldn't have it any other way. Now tell me my dear, what are you searching for today?"

Ruby quickly explained that she was looking for books on the history of the school and town along with maps of sites and certain locations. She also wanted a few academic texts on weapons, forging, and dust. "And if you can, could you please group the ones closest to each other on four separate pieces of paper?" she asked, holding up the same number of fingers for emphasis.

"Still a busy student I see," Sergeant chuckled, following exactly what she asked. "Just make sure none of your wild pranks pull me in like you did to Glynda and Doctor Oobleck earlier today." They warned, handing the papers over to Ruby.

Ruby merely grinned, "I'll try to keep the pranks on you on the more calm side." She said, taking the offered note.

Sergeant nodded in approval, "Good, now off with you." They said, making a shooing motion with their hand.

Ruby playfully rolled her eyes before wandering back to CRDL. "Alright! Take your pick!" She smiled, fanning the papers out with the blank sides facing the boys.

Everyone glanced to each other in question, obviously expecting that Ruby wasn't actually going to have them help her with getting books, but evidentially, her intentions were really what it seemed.

Ruby stared at them expectantly, a wide grin still on her face. Finally, Dove sighed as he reached out for the one second to her right.

"So Dove is stuck with history books! Have fun with that." Ruby stated before turning her gazes to the other three. She lightly shook her hand that held the remaining notes, indicating that they hurry to take them.

Hesitantly, they all grabbed the remaining slips of paper, Cardin and Sky each in charge of grabbing the academic texts and Russel having to grab books with maps and locations.

Ruby nodded in approval, "Alright team CRDL!" She began, placing her hands on her hips in a typical authority-like pose, "Meet back here when you've all got the books." She ordered with a pseudo-serious face.

CRDL merely shuffled in their places awkwardly, hesitantly nodding as though they still could not believe that the little girl in front of them was capable of threatening their lives and had been the one to during the previous past few weeks..

"Right! Spread out!" She ordered with a wave of her hand. The boys immediately brought their slips of paper up to take another look at the section they should be heading towards before walking off.

Cardin didn't get too far though, as he sensed another presence beside him, causing him to turn his head in question. He regretted though, when the sight of Ruby greeted his eyes.

The young leader seemed to notice his apprehension and grinned. "Don't mind me, I'll just be tagging along."

The comment confused Cardin, as Ruby usually didn't speak to him or his team unless it was to order them to do something.

Now that he thought about it though, her behavior had been out of place ever since she came up to them. First of all, she usually didn't walk up to them in plain view, as she seemed to prefer seemingly popping out of nowhere to scare them. Second, she explained to them what she needed as opposed to demanding them to do so. Finally, there was the fact that she seemed to prefer tagging or walking alongside with them… Usually she would have them walk behind her, flanking her sides, but this time… she almost seemed like… she wanted their company. It was odd, and Cardin couldn't help but find himself a little miffed at this slight change.

Ruby didn't seem to notice his befuddlement, or if she did, chose not to say anything as she perused through the tall bookshelves, her eyebrows furrowing in annoyance at a particular book on the top shelf.

Perplexed, Cardin followed her line of sight and glanced back at her, realizing that he had to look pretty far down, he let out a snort. "Shorty."

Veering her head toward him with a vicious glare, Ruby stomped hard on his foot, causing him to yelp in pain as he curled over and brought his foot up to hold it.

"Just grab the books." Ruby stated with a roll of her eyes before walking away.

"Ow. Fuck." Cardin muttered under his breath. He couldn't believe that he had thought there was a difference in her demeanor; she was obviously still acting the same way she always did.

The two began searching for the books, and Cardin hated to say it, but with Ruby's help he was able to find all the books much more easily than had he done so by himself. Though… If it weren't for Ruby, he wouldn't be caught in the library at all.

Half an hour had barely passed by the time they finished and began heading toward the checkout with 9 books in Cardin's hands, the rest of the members were already there with the rest of Ruby's books. Pleased, Ruby gestured from them all to set the books on the counter to allow Sergeant to scan them…

She seemed content to stay silent as the boys did all the grunt work for her, until she heard the sounds of someone whining. Turning her head to the entry, she saw Velvet staggering in with a tower of books in her possession that hindered her sight. "No….no…. Nononono!" She whimpered loudly, quickly backtracking as the books began leaning back, threatening to fall, though thankfully stopped as balance was regained.

Raising a brow and feeling a little sorry for her, Ruby turned to face Cardin. "You should help her out." She stated

The order made Cardin splutter, "Wh-What? Are you crazy? I've been messing with her for the first few weeks of school! She's not going to want help from me."

"Well then, all the more reason for you to help her." Ruby shrugged.

Cardin blanched, ready to protest further until he saw silver eyes narrow down on him. Cold fear shivered through his body, causing him to lower his head in compliance before stalking away as he muttered under his breath, not at all happy with the order. He made sure to walk directly in front of Velvet, ensuring that he stay well out of her sight, before grabbing more than half the books right out her hands.

"Oh! Thank-" Velvet began in pleasant surprise, turning her head up to Cardin though froze dead in her tracks as her voice hitched. "YoU?" She finished with a whimper, her ears falling down and flattening against her head.

Cardin rolled his eyes, knowing this would have happened. "Yeah. Whatever." He muttered. "So are you turning this in or what?" He demanded

Timidly, Velvet nodded, glancing back and forth between the turn in box and Cardin, as though wondering if she could jump into it as well for safety.

Cardin merely grunted as he made his way over, gently placing the stack of books on the ground for Velvet's convenience.

Still perturbed by his gesture, Velvet ensured that she kept a safe distance from him as she did the same. Not wanting to sound rude or ungrateful though, she timidly spoke, "U-Uh… Thanks… Cardin."

Surprised at the light warmth spreading in his chest at the gratitude and guilt of looking at her, Cardin casted his eyes away. "Yeah, well. Don't mention it… Ever." He roughly said before making his way back to Ruby.

"Aw, wasn't that nice Cardin?" Ruby mockingly asked with a sickeningly sweet smile. "You're making a friend." She cooed, even going so far as reaching up with her hand to pinch his cheek

"Shut up." He grumbled in embarrassment, slapping her hand away.

Ruby casted her eyes over to the Faunus, catching Velvet's eye and gave a knowing wink over to her and causing Velvet to smile, mouthing the words "Thank you" over to Ruby.

Ruby quickly waved the other off as she finished checking out her books while saying goodbye to Sergeant.

Taking a glance over to the clock behind the librarian, Ruby let out a weary sigh and turned to team CRDL. "Listen, hold these into your room for now. I'll grab the rest later." She stated, only taking 3 books. She turned back to Cardin, holding a pointed finger at him. "And you, I want you to grab one of the school maps and remember it."

"Why?" Cardin asked, crossing his eyes to stare at the finger.

"Just do it." Ruby stated with a huff, spinning on her heel before hurriedly walking out.

She didn't even bother receiving an answer from CRDL as she left, wanting to make sure she would make it in time for the joint tutoring session between her team and JNPR.

At the thought of her team, she let an inaudible groan, her pace slowing down substantially.

She was not looking forward to seeing Blake again. Their argument from this morning was incredibly draining and left a bad taste in Ruby's mouth. Blake's accusation had nearly hit home, and Ruby's heart nearly stopped in fear of being caught.

Ruby couldn't just blatantly lie; she knew that she was terrible at them, hence why she had been feeding everyone white lies. But to use her background to guilt another person, someone like Blake, made her feel weird. She didn't like it.

What was worse was that she knew she couldn't take it back, everything she had said was true, beside the fact that she omitted what everyone's steady and stable job was. Using her background against someone who grew up similarly, someone who could empathize with her situation, and then turn around and use it against them… It was something she didn't ever want to have to do that again. It something she didn't even want to think about.

As she slowly approached her dorm room, she could hear the rowdy banter between her team and team JNPR were causing in the latter's dorm and she wondered if she could simply just… not go in.

It would be so easy for her. She would be able to avoid Blake and she wouldn't have to think about what she had done to her teammate that morning

Unfortunately, it seemed that her decision would be made for her as Blake had been standing right by JNPR's dorm door, fidgeting in place.

Ruby began feeling apprehensive, uncertainty rising in her like the time when she had gone missing and put the entire base on lockdown as Cinder and caused everyone to search for her, but was still too scared to tell on who had trapped her in the storage room. She continued walking though, knowing fully well that she shouldn't show that she felt bad for what she said and instead, showing annoyance.

… It was difficult though, as Ruby knew there was nothing to be annoyed about with Blake.

"Hi… uh… Ruby." Blake greeted her nervously while ducking her head.

Ruby eyed her teammate with uncertainty, hoping that Blake had not seen through her white lie from that morning.

"I-I uh…" Blake woefully stared down at her feet, one arm coming across her stomach in a slight hug as her hand clung onto her other arm. Her throat bobbed, showing her swallow before she brought her golden eyes up. "I-I wanted to apologize for this morning… I… I was just being paranoid, and you reminded me so much of my life from when I was… in the White Fang." She whispered the last part, ashamed of her past affiliation. "So I suppose, I just…. I guess I was projecting my fears onto you…" Blake confessed.

A prick let itself be felt within Ruby's chest, her hands twitched by her sides as they yearned to reach out and hug the girl in front of her for being courageous enough to let her fears be known, to be trusted with Ruby.

Ruby could sense that Blake's fears ran so much deeper though, and that _hurt_. To see, to feel all of Blake's doubts, all of her uneasiness at her surroundings, and worry of being somewhere she no longer could withstand… it made Ruby feel terrible. It took all she had to not reach out and tell Blake that it was okay, because it wasn't Ruby's place.

Besides, she was the reason why Blake was like this. Comforting her just… didn't seem right when Ruby knew that it was just a lie.

"It's okay." Ruby whispered, crossing her arms instead as she glanced off to the side, her eyes forming a clear wall of tears. "I understand."

Blake inhaled a sharp breath of surprise, her body tense as she didn't know what to do, but slowly began to relax as she realized that everything was fine between her and Ruby. "I'm so sorry." Blake whimpered, rubbing her eyes to prevent tears from obscuring her vision.

"It's okay." Ruby repeated, "I forgive you."

Blake let out a deep shuddering sigh of relief, a single tear escaping from the corner of her eye as her body sagged, happy that she hadn't broken their bond of friendship. Slowly, a smile began to stretch across her face. "Thank you. This… It means a lot to me."

Ruby felt another twinge of pain at the statement, guilt ridding up in her as she shuffled in place.

Ruby had gained Blake's trust… Blake's complete and utmost confidence toward Ruby, and she... She should be happy.

This was one of the reasons Cinder had allowed Ruby to be sent to Beacon, to gain the trust of as many people as she could.

She should be happy.

"Come on, everyone's waiting for us." Blake said, turning around to open the door to JNPR's room.

With a tight smile, Ruby nodded as she followed after, entering the room to find Jaune recounting his last sparring match with Cardin as everyone sat in various positions on the floor facing each other with 2 low tables (that they pulled out from who knows where) brought next to each other.

"-maybe he was sick or something, I don't know! He just wasn't fighting right, but I knew it was my chance so I beat him hard!" Jaune exclaimed joyously, flexing an arm in triumph.

Ruby rolled her eyes at his boast, reminding herself to tell Cardin to make it seem as though he wasn't trying to lose next time.

"I really think I'm getting this stuff down! I mean, this is my second or third time winning now? So I have to be getting better!" Jaune happily reasoned. The rest of his team hesitantly nodded in agreement with strained smiles.

"Yes, you've been improving quite," Pyrrha paused to think of a proper word. "Tremendously." She finished

Weiss arched a brow of disbelief. "You have got to be-OW!" She yelped, throwing a glare at Yang for nudging her sharply in the side with an elbow. "What?"

Yang gave a pointed look, gesturing with her eyebrows over to Jaune's proud and ecstatic expression. Understanding washing over her, but not appreciating it, Weiss rolled her eyes and scoffed under her breath.

Upon seeing Ruby and Blake enter though, she sat up straighter and smiled. "Blake! Ruby! Glad you could join us."

Blake nodded as she slid in next to Weiss.

"Why, I'm so glad I was given this opportunity to do so!" Ruby mocked in an overly polite tone, sliding in next to Yang and across from Weiss as she straightened her back and folded her hands on top of the table as though she were prepared for an interview. "Again, thank you so much for taking the time to consider me, it means a lot!"

Weiss rolled her eyes good naturedly, "Oh stop fooling around and pull your books and notes out."

Ruby stuck her tongue out as she shifted to get comfortable, "Spoil sport." Though she complied regardless.

"We're studying, it shouldn't be fun." Weiss stated.

"Ooh, how serious." Ruby said in a foreboding tone, spreading her notes and homework out for her team to see.

Jaune perked up at the word, leaning forward from the end of the table toward the Schnee heiress. "Speaking of serious Weiss, I wanted to ask you-"

"Ruby! Your handwriting is atrocious!" Weiss exclaimed, snatching a paper off the table as she began scrutinizing every detail of it. "I can hardly tell the difference between some of these numbers!" She paused as she brought the paper closer. "Is…. Is this a 4? Or a 7? … Maybe it's a 9…?"

"… You spelled these wrong…" Blake quietly said, pointing to numerous spots on another sheet of paper. "… And some of these aren't structured correctly."

"You can read that?" Weiss asked in disbelief, warily eyeing the essay in front of Blake like one would at upon stepping in animal droppings.

"Er… Ruby, I know you're more familiar with military history, but I'm pretty sure that our great ancestors… didn't have guns as their main source of protection in their time." Yang uneasily said.

Ruby scowled, her arms crossed over chest as she glared at the table. "Alright alright! I get it! I'm stupid. Now make me smart!"

Her team snapped their heads up and glanced at each other with wide eyes. "No! No! You're not stupid!" They all spoke at once, jumbling their sentences together to comfort and reassure their leader.

Ruby rolled her eyes, though the corner of her lips quirked up in mild amusement. "Uh huh. Well, I guess math is going first, since I have such atrocious handwriting and Weiss can't read it." she quoted, taking her phone out and opening it for the calculator before setting it on the table.

Everyone nodded, scooting in as close as they could to Weiss before she turned to face Jaune on the other side, "I'm sorry Jaune. Were you speaking to me?"

"Er… No." Jaune hesitantly said, seeing as how Weiss already seemed to have her hands full.

"What is the subject for your team's studying session?" Pyrrha asked curiously, "Perhaps I could be of assistance?"

Weiss nodded, "We're currently working on mathematics. If you'd like to help Blake and Yang, I'd be grateful."

Emerald eyes flickered over to Ruby in question, "What about Ruby?"

"Ruby," Weiss emphasized pointedly, causing her illustrious leader to stick her tongue out once again. "Is unfortunately behind and requires my whole, and undivided attention with her work."

"You just want to keep me to yourself." Ruby sassed

"… Indeed." Weiss deadpanned with a rather blank face, showing the entire room that she did not mean her words at all.

"Ooh! Ooh! Help me too Pyrrha!" Nora excitedly exclaimed, raising her hand and waving it about.

"A-And me!" Jaune tried to voice in.

Pyrrha nervously glanced between the four individuals she was apparently now watching over, before landing on Ren. He seemed to have sensed her gaze as he brought his pink eyes up to meet hers, and sighed in resignation.

"I'll help too."

Relief flooded through Pyrrha, her smile spreading more naturally as everyone pulled out their materials to begin their study session.

Only a few minutes had passed when Ruby began shifting in her spot nervously as she kept looking up at everyone whenever someone got a bit too loud. She wasn't used to studying in such a large group, back at home, she only ever studied with 3 people at most since everyone was usually too busy. Most often times, she only studied with one person as they each rotated.

Studying with so many people was noisy and distracting, Ruby found it difficult to stay focused on her own work. But… it was also a lot more fun.

Of course at home, there was always small banter while she did her work, so she wasn't completely and utterly bored; but it was mostly quiet as someone peered over her shoulder and congratulated her for doing a good job. Or someone would read a book or struggle with their own work before looking over to her to see where she was at. Or… sometimes there would be a strained smile as they confessed that they couldn't help her with a certain subject, which they'll have to get someone else to look at it.

With her team and team JNPR though, there were so many other expressions that were changing as they helped one another. No one looked ashamed for asking for help, or consulting with someone else. Sometimes Ren would lean over to Pyrrha while pointing to a problem for her to check over, Weiss wouldn't mind asking Ruby herself to read out her handwriting, or Pyrrha would occasionally furrow her brows as she asked to be given a moment to redo the problem. It was… nice.

"Did you do anything exciting over the weekend?" Pyrrha asked Ruby once she had completed her assignment and handed over to Weiss to look over.

"Oh. I uh-" Ruby hesitated, casting a quick glance over to Blake who was pointedly staring at her own homework. "I spent it with my family." Ruby confessed, looking back at Pyrrha. "Since we haven't seen each other in a while, we kind of just… hung out."

Yeah… They hung out at Mountain Glen to oversee or help clear the underground railway and fix up the train to get it functioning once more. Fortunately, it was relatively painless as there were a few Grimm to take care of, but the rest of the time was rather boring.

Despite Ruby's renowned popularity through base for making all sorts of missions enjoyable, even she couldn't make picking up rocks fun.

"That sounds wonderful," Pyrrha smiled. "You must have missed them dearly."

Ruby nodded, her posture relaxing as she thought about her sister and everyone else. "Yeah. I was really happy to see everyone again."

Blake visibly winced in the corner of Ruby's eyes, causing that tight feeling to form within her chest again.

Ruby shook her head, hoping to rid of the feeling.

"Are you alright?" Pyrrha asked

Snapping her head up, Ruby scrambled through her mind for an excuse. "Uh… A-Actually, I'm kind of hungry. Do you guys have any snacks?" she asked

It seemed that Ruby had said the magic word as Nora jumped right into the conversation. "Yeah! We have _**loads**_!" She eagerly stated, moving to stand. "Let me just-"

"Nora." Ren said in a warning tone.

"But Ren!" Nora whined, only to elicit a firm headshake from her childhood friend. She plopped back down with a huff, mumbling with a halfhearted gesture over to the bookcase in the corner. "They're over there…"

Ruby grinned, jumping to her feet and rushing over to the designated area where delicious snacks awaited… Only to come to a halt when she realized that they were located on the very top shelf, a few feet higher than her.

She frowned at the sight and stretched up as far as she could, standing on the tip of her toes and hopping a little in hopes of getting closer to the basket of snacks.

Just when she was certain that they were at the tip of her fingers, she saw hands easily grabbing the basket and lift it off the shelf.

Suddenly aware of the looming presence behind her, Ruby tensed, swiveling around on her feet with wide eyes, her hands reflexively twitching up - ready to initiate combat - only to find Pyrrha sheepishly looking down at her, basket of snacks in hand.

"I… believe you needed some help." Pyrrha asked more than said, lowering the basket down as she took a step back to hand it over.

It took all Ruby had to not get upset at the fact that she couldn't reach something because of her height, or to get upset at Pyrrha for being tall and helping.

If it had been anyone else, she would have immediately stomped on their foot like she did to Cardin earlier that day (unless it were her sister of course)

But, she knew, she just knew it would gather the attention of the other and her team. So, she grit her teeth and forced a smile up at Pyrrha, "Uh. T-Thanks Pyrrha." she said as she accepted the basket, taking a subtle step back to increase the space between the two. She completely forgot about the bookshelf though and smacked the back of her head onto it, causing her to duck and clutch her head with a free hand.

"Oh! Are you okay?" Pyrrha asked, raising her hands to hover over Ruby.

"Yeah!" Ruby said a bit too hurriedly as she sensing the concerned presence while snapping her head up and, sidestepping her way out Pyrrha's hovering arms. "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it." Ruby assured, waving it off in hopes that Pyrrha would drop it.

"If you're sure." Pyrrha said, lowering her hands down.

"I'm sure!" Ruby asserted, keeping in mind where the other's hands were. She didn't want them anywhere near her

A small smile of satisfaction crossed Pyrrha's features before she relaxed her limbs, intertwining her hands together. "Then, I suppose there is nothing to worry about."

"Yup. Nothing to worry about at all." Ruby restated with a tight smile

"Well, if you continue rewording my scrutiny into statements, then maybe there is something to worry about." Pyrrha laughed.

A pout tried to force its' way onto Ruby's expression from being teased, though she stamped the urge down by ducking her head again and biting the inside of her cheek. This was… weird. She didn't know what to do or what to say. She knew she wasn't going to get caught pouting, of all things, at school in front of her peers though.

Exaggerating her pout was one thing, but to actually do so as a legitimate reaction was another.

"I'm sorry, did I speak out of turn?"

"No!" Ruby said, snapping her head back up. "I just uh-"

Think. She had to think of a good excuse.

"Don't wish to speak out of turn?"

"Yes!" Ruby proclaimed, jumping at the opportunity for a provided explanation. It wasn't until a few seconds after that the words Pyrrha said registered, causing her to raise her hands to her chest in pleasure as she giggled, and for Ruby to look absolutely appalled to allow herself to be lured with such bait.

"My apologies." Pyrrha laughed, her fingers wiggling against each other in delight, "I did not intend to make you feel less."

This time, the pout that had fought against Ruby's will won and showed itself, causing her to hug the basket of goods to her chest. "It's fine." Ruby petulantly stated, "I'll get over it."

Pyrhha smiled, pleased to hear the response and was about to say something, until a shout from outside interrupted and caught her attention.

"Doctor Ooblek! _**Please**_ , keep those chickens under control!" The voice of Professor Goodwitch announced

"You may think that a task such as this is simple as saying so, but I assure you Glynda that it is not!" Doctor Oobleck affirmed, his voice occasionally rising to be heard over loud clucking sounds.

"I don't care if it's difficult," Glynda gritted out. "Just make sure you don't let go of them! I do not wish to spend my day running around campus, searching for them again! Now help me find number 4! It's got to be around here somewhere!"

"Actually! The gender of the chicken would be that of a female if we're going with human social normalization." Doctor Oobleck informed, shuffling the 2 chickens under his arms that had an apparent numbers 1 and 2 hanging off their sides. "Seeing as these chickens don't-"

"Doctor Oobleck!" Glynda shouted, pointing toward a white bird attempting to flutter up into the air toward him with the number 4 strapped to its' side. "The chicken!"

"U-Uh! Right-o!" The history professor stammered out as he tried his best to chase after it.

Every member in the JNPR dorm room stared out into the window in disbelief, save for Ruby who was snickering to herself at the display.

"... Ruby… What did you do?" Weiss asked, her eyes still fixed on the two professors that she respected, who were now running around in circles to chase a chicken. She knew fully well, along with just about every other student at school, that Ruby was the only person who would pull a prank that involved teachers.

"I brought chickens to school!" Ruby said with a large, proud smile. Even going so far as raising her chin and nose into the air to exaggerate her expression.

"I can see that, but what-"

Weiss stopped what she was saying, as she narrowed her eyes at a once again snickering Ruby. The type of snickering where she wanted to say something, but wouldn't until incited to do so. The kind of snickering where Ruby was pretty sure she had a joke, but knew that Weiss would not find humor in. It was the kind of snickering that Yang enjoyed though, because she knew that she would enjoy whatever it was that Ruby had to say.

"What is it?" Yang asked with a wide smile.

Ruby tried to bring her snickering under control, but only managed to speak out her mind in between bouts. "I… I brought cocks to school."

Weiss groaned at the comment as Yang snorted in amusement before allowing guffaws of laughter to consume the air, along with Nora and Jaune. Throwing a glance over to Blake, Ren, and Pyrrha Weiss's only hopes for maturity, she had hoped for someone to help back her in admonishing Ruby, but was remiss to find the three caught in small bouts of chortle. Blake and Ren both seemed to be hiding their amusement behind papers or a polite in front of their mouth, but Weiss was especially shocked to find Pyrrha laughing at such an immature comment. Though, the latter seemed try to cover up her merriment with a polite cough.

Regardless, Weiss allowed a small groan to escape as she rolled her eyes toward the ceiling.

She was surrounded by children.

"Awww, C'mon Weiss! It was funny!" Ruby whined, settling back down in her seat along with Pyrrha.

"Hardly." Weiss deadpanned

"So why the cocks?" Yang asked, allowing snickers to take over as she said the word.

"It's not about the cocks." Ruby said.

"Then what's with the cocks?" Nora asked

"Can you stop calling the chickens that!" Weiss demanded

"Well, the point of the cocks is to make the teachers run around." Ruby said, ignoring Weiss's request.

Everyone stared at her with a raised brow, knowing that there was more to the prank then just that.

"... There's also only 3 cocks on campus." Ruby finished with a whisper before giggles overtook her.

Everyone knitted their brows in question, not sure what Ruby was speaking of until they heard a yell of triumph from outside, garnering their attention.

"Alright, we finally-" Glynda heaved a sigh, swiping loose strands of her hair that came undone from her bun to the side. "Have 3 of them. Now to just find the last one."

"I'll say! This took much longer than I thought!" Ooblek commented, struggling to keep all of the chickens under his arm under control. "Maybe we ought to keep these fellas somewhere safe before we search for number 3 hm?"

Glynda nodded in approval before turning away, "I swear, the next time Miss Fall pulls something like this again, you can be certain that she'll be the one to clean up her own mess!"

"Now now Glynda," Ooblek placated as he followed after, "While this activity did indeed take up most of the day, you must admit that it was interesting. Besides, it's not as though you don't enjoy it. Otherwise Miss Fall wouldn't continue to pull pranks on you."

Glynda allowed a sigh to escape, "Of course."

As the two teachers stalked away, the room erupted into more laughter as Weiss stared at Ruby in disbelief. "You're sending our teachers on a ghost hunt."

"Just those two, they're the only ones who were free." Ruby stated, fluttering her eyes with a look of angelic innocence.

"I… You know what? I'm not even going to try." Weiss stated, shaking her head as she went back to the material in front of her.

It was a sign for everyone else to settle back down and to return to their study session as well, but this time, with a bit more of amusement in the air.

At some point, Ruby felt Pyrrha's gaze on her while she was waiting for Blake to review her notes, raising her head in question.

Pyrrha merely smiled in response, shaking her head to indicate that she didn't wish to talk at the moment. Most likely to avoid disrupting the quiet focus that had finally settled in the room.

Not wanting to drop it, Ruby quickly scribbled on a spare piece of paper and passed it over to the other.

" _Do you need help with something?"_

Pyrrha's smile brightened in glee upon reading the note, and wrote something back in her much more neat and legible cursive writing.

" _Actually, I wished to inquire if you are willing to spar with me some time? I haven't fought so hard before since our match, and I think with you, I could learn a lot to better myself."_

Ruby bit her lip in contemplation, hesitantly casting a quick glance up to Pyrrha who returned the look with a small smile.

Unsure and wary of the request, Ruby wondered if there were any benefits for her or the mission for accepting it.

Pyrrha was one of the most respected students and fighter on campus, and after their match a few weeks ago, Ruby's status as a fighter rose up to par as well. There was no benefit to her in regards to that, and therefore no reason to accept it in the name of the mission.

On the other hand, a regular spar session would allow Ruby to continue building and renewing her skills as well as other tactics when it came to heavy hitters like Pyrrha. It would be beneficial to her as a fighter.

Still, that also meant that Pyrrha would improve as well…

Ruby chewed the inside of her cheek, before writing down her response.

" _Alright"_

Pyrrha's smile seemed to widen at the acceptance as she mouthed the words "Thank you" to Ruby, garnering an uncertain smile.

Well, one main reason Ruby came to the school was to help improve herself. She might as well take every chance she got she thought with a yawn.

As the study session continued on, Ruby slowly became more and more tired.

Around the 3 hour mark, where everyone was pretty much finished and it was close to curfew, Ruby had completely succumbed herself to the comfort of the table and was snoozing to the amusement of everyone.

"She's actually kind of cute like this." Nora commented with a grin, lightly poking Ruby's cheek.

"I prefer her like this," Weiss scoffed, gathering up Ruby's material and neatly placing them in her bag. "At the very least she's not causing any sort of trouble when asleep."

"She's not waking up." Blake whispered after lightly shaking her leader a few times.

"That's okay, I got her." Yang replied, carefully trying to pick Ruby up.

"Here, let me help." Blake suggested.

Yang nodded in gratitude as the two managed to place Ruby on Yang's back.

"Thank you for allowing us to study with you." Weiss stated, turning toward the members of team JNPR.

"It was no problem. We benefitted from it as well." Ren stated.

Weiss nodded, shuffling Ruby's bag onto her shoulder before walking through the door that Blake held open.

By the time team RWBY had left for their dorm room, JNPR all began stretching before they began cleaning up and rearranging their room once again.

The sound of a vibration reverberated through the door room, causing confusion amongst the team.

"Whose phone is that?" Jaune asked

"Not mine!" Nora stated, "Mine's gone!"

Ren sighed at the proclamation. "I have it, and it's not mine either."

"Oh!" Pyrrha sounded, noticing the phone left on the study table they used, "I do believe that's Ruby's phone."

"Should we give it back to her? They're just across the hallway." Jaune mentioned.

Pyrrha shook her head, picking the phone up as it vibrated again. "No, she's already asleep. I'll give it back to her tomorrow." She said, peeking at the screen and noticing 2 new messages from a "Sparkle Butt", causing an amused brow to raise at the name.

* * *

Cinder stood silently at the door to her little sister's bedroom door, allowing only the light from the hallway to shine in the room. Standing there for a few minutes, she finally took a slow, silent step into the room and took it in.

It was so like her sister.

Small, airy, and when the sun came up - so filled with light. Even when the sun moved across the sky and was about to set, or even when the moon was high in the sky, the room would still be filled with light due to the fixed, large skylights.

Even the walls, painted a burgundy were accented with a single, muted yellow stripe a quarter down from the top, gave a clue to Ruby's personality posters of weapon designs and robots neatly lined around. Her single, short yet wide bookcase she built herself was set to fit under the bay window to form a semi couch with black covered cushions, orange and yellow pillows littering the area along with a large stuffed animal that Mercury gave her. Books ranging from all sorts of fiction to academia filled the case, leaving no room to be free space.

Cinder laughed to herself, if Ruby were home then most of those books would be littering around her room and there would be plenty of space on the bookshelves.

She continued looking around the room, noting the cleanliness of the walnut desk and bulletin board hanging above, free of scattered papers that would usually be filled with missions and operations for mundane items or pranks. A few pictures were still pinned at the side of the board of herself with other household members. Usually with silly facial expressions or poses.

Cinder's feet continued walking, shifting from the cold hardwood floor to the comfort of a large, circular eggshell white rug in the middle of the room, accented with a light, military green and brown to frame it. The only object placed on the rug was the foot of Ruby's full sized bed, held up with a plain, dark wooden frame of a sleigh bed with just a headboard set in the center of the wall. A dark, wooden dresser with picture frames and knickknacks set neatly across the top against the other wall.

Cinder slowly lowered herself to sit at the foot of the bed, placing her weight atop the pink and white patterned throw blanket that was neatly folded over the plain brown comforter. Continuing to lower herself, Cinder laid herself across the bed until her head rested on white pillows, sinking further against larger, slated gray pillows.

The older sister couldn't help but chuckle to herself, Ruby's bed was so much smaller than her own.

… The room was so much colder without Ruby.

"Wow, it's so much cleaner without Red in here." Roman's voice cut through the quiet air.

"No kidding." Mercury followed wil a slight snort, "It's usually a lot more cluttered."

"Did you two finish the job?" Cinder asked, turning over to the side and swinging her feet over to sit up.

"Yeah," Mercury sighed with a wave of his hand. "The body is now at the bottom of a river where the grim can eat it."

"And the trail?" Cinder asked with a raised brow, getting off the bed and straightening it out.

"Leads off and toward Vacuo." Roman said with a small smile of approval. He threw his hands up into a shrug as he shook his head, "So if someone picks up where this leads off, they'll go in the wrong way."

Cinder hummed in thought as the bed was fixed to her liking, "This person came a bit too close." She commented.

"Well, he was pretty good." Mercury thoughtfully said aloud, "Though, he made the mistake of actually trying to follow Ruby."

"Have you told her yet?"

"Yup, right after we finished." Mercury nodded.

Cinder nodded, eyeing the pictures on the dresser before settling on a specific one. "She'll be happy." She noted, picking up the frame.

Roman laughed, "Oh yeah, she'll probably be bouncing in joy. She was so annoyed when she noticed she was being followed again."

Mercury joined in for a moment before continuing with his report, "I told her about the other thing too." He mentioned, checking his phone real quick and noting the time. "She hasn't replied yet, so she's probably asleep."

Cinder smiled, pleased at the idea that her little sister will be happy as she placed down the frame containing a picture of the two sisters smiling widely as they hugged one another. "Good. Now we just have to wait for Emerald and Neo to come back with the supplies."


	11. Restless

**Chapter 8 - - - Restless**

Ruby grinned, humming a tune familiar to the rest of her team from Weiss's countless singing in the shower as she walked toward a table, her partner walking closely while Blake and Yang trailed a little slower.

Yang, due to her unnatural focus and paranoia on her phone, and Blake due to languidness as she rubbed her eyes, causing the bags under to become more prevalent.

Weiss casted a concerned look toward the both of them, though only Blake managed to catch sight of it and merely waved her off, mouthing "later" toward her. It seemed enough for Weiss as she turned her attention back to their happy leader.

"I take that your test went well." Weiss commented.

"It went great!" Ruby exclaimed happily, plopping herself down in her seat. "I was about to do just about every problem!" She proclaimed, poking the straw through her carton of juice.

 Weiss looked pleased as the rest of the team settled alongside the table, "Well, I'm glad to hear that. If you feel like you need any more help in regards to math, then I'll be more than happy to help."

"Another studying session sounds pleasant." Pyrrha voiced as her own team came up with food trays in hand. "Would you mind if we join you?"

Weiss gestured in front of her to the free seats, giving the other team permission to take the space. "And how do you four believe you did on the test?" she politely asked

Pyrrha smiled to show her positivity on her test, but didn't get a chance to properly express it as she was interrupted by Nora.

"It was horrible!" Nora wailed, "All the numbers didn't add up! On one of the problems I was certain that the answer was supposed to be positive, but I somehow got into the negatives. There were so many formulas that I just don't remember and the graphs were all looking a little wonky and I just wanted all the numbers to disappear!" Nora cried as her head fell to the table.

Ren halted her head with his hand before lowering it down as he continued. "Nora will be taking extra time to study with me."

Jaune snickered at them before he began, "I mean, it was alright."

Ruby stared at Pyrrha, who was still silent as she allowed her teammates to talk over her. It wasn't until the rest of Ruby's team noticed her gaze and stared at Pyrrha as well, awaiting for her to finish speaking.

"Oh, I… I believe I did very well on the test." Pyrrha exclaimed, casting a meaningful glance over to Ruby.

Ruby merely flashed a quick, nervous grin before ducking her head to eat - silently reprimanding herself for allowing her habit of listening to everyone take a hold of her.

"Blake!"

Ruby turned her head up in question at the unfamiliar voice, seeing two boys she didn't recognize with an arched brow.

"Sun." Blake said with a hint of surprise

"Hey!" Sun, the boy with a shirt that was left unbuttoned to display his chest and stomach, drawled out with a grin as he gave a nod over to Weiss and Yang. The latter of whom only gave a small wave toward him without taking her eyes off her scroll. "Yang, Weiss, I just wanted to come by and introduce my best friend, Neptune to you guys. He didn't believe me when I said I met some cool people here."

Neptune, the tan boy with neatly combed blue hair straightened his back as he swept his gaze across the table at everyone sitting there, and flashed his teeth while giving a small nod. "I'm Neptune"

Weiss smiled, leaning forward on the table with folded hands. "So Neptune, where are you from?"

"Haven" Neptune answered with a small smirk, he opened his mouth to continue to speak, but was interrupted from Ruby's snort.

"And obviously from Daddy's list of approved suitors." Ruby commented.

Weiss immediately recoiled away, her arms folded across her chest as she flushed in anger. "That's not true!"

Ruby gave Neptune a quick once over before casting a knowing look at Weiss, "Right." She drawled out before returning to her food.

"I-" Weiss tried, before glancing over at Neptune, visibly deflating as she realized that Ruby was right. Neptune does look like he came straight off of her father's approval list.

"Don't worry… Weiss was it?" Neptune asked, causing Weiss to nod. "Don't get so down, I'm _everyone's_ type." He claimed, throwing a wink over toward the other side of the table.

Pyrrha was the only one to notice, causing her to flash a very tense smile to showcase her discomfort and causing Weiss to frown in disapproval at Neptune's apparent flirtatious nature.

"Don't pay attention to him," Sun said with an affectionate eye roll, throwing his hand up to semi cover Neptune from the view of everyone. "He's stupid."

Jaune didn't notice as he leaned across the table, "D-Don't worry Weiss. I'm sure I'm not your father's type!"

"You're not my type either." Weiss stated off handedly with an arched brow, causing Ruby and Nora to snicker while Jaune deflated.

"Don't worry Jaune, your time for romance will come soon enough." Ren comforted him with a pat on his back.

"Indeed," Pyrrha joined in with a small sympathetic smile "It just so happens that it's not… today." she lamely finished.

Ruby decided to help comfort Jaune, not wanting him to suddenly turn toward improving his battle skills to help cope with his apparent rejection. "Yeah! Besides, Weiss is already taken. By me. Because she's my partner. So you can't have her. Mine." She affirmed, stepping up onto the table as she jabbed a thumb to her chest, raising her nose up into the air to emphasize her statement.

Weiss blanched at the remark, pulling Ruby down to take a seat with an eyeroll. "Please refrain from putting your foot on the table and stop being ridiculous." She stated with a small, amused smile.

Blake chuckled at the display, allowing the small moment of reprieve for herself. Though noticed that Yang was still sitting silently beside her. Blake nudged her at the arm to draw her attention, though only managed to cause her to snap her head up and look at Blake in bewilderment. "Hey… are you okay?" Blake asked quietly. "You've been stuck on your scroll this entire time."

Weiss glanced over, casting a concerned expression toward Yang briefly before her attention was brought back to some sort of shenanigan Ruby was trying to pull.

"I-" Yang threw a quick glance over to the rest of the table as she shook her head, pocketing her scroll as she brought her hand up to cover the portion below her left shoulder, where Blake knew she kept that tattered old picture. "I'll tell you guys later." Yang whispered, ducking her head as she began to eat her lunch.

Though she was still concerned, Blake understood that now was not the best time or place for Yang to share whatever seemed to be plaguing her mind, and decided to simply wait until she was ready.

"Alright, well Neptune and I are going to go get some food. We'll catch up with you all later" Sun stated as he and his friend left.

Ren shook his head as he lightly shook Nora's shoulder, "Nora needs to study." He stated, getting up and pulling Nora along as she wailed

Pyrrha declined as well, "Ruby and I have a sparring session to attend to. That is, if she is still up for it?" she asked, casting a quizzical glance over to Ruby.

Ruby choked on her food upon being reminded of her plans to spar with Pyrrha, and began coughing wildly as Weiss uncomfortably began rhythmically pounding on her back and handing over her leader's carton of juice.

She quickly snatched it, slurping the rest of the liquid down her throat as her body finally decided to calm down.

"Are you okay?" Pyrrha asked in concern as Weiss continued lightly patting Ruby's back

Ruby waved her off, "Yeah. I'm fine. Food went down the wrong tube." She hoarsely exclaimed, turning her head over to Weiss to show that she was fine and to indicate that Weiss could stop her awkward patting.

"If you're sure…" Pyrrha said.

"I'm sure." Ruby nodded, taking Weiss's carton to down as well to the other's protest

"So about that sparring session…" Pyrrha continue with a silent question.

Ruby gave a nervous smile, still uncertain about helping the other in something that would improve her fighting capabilities. Furthermore, she didn't feel comfortable being alone with the taller woman, especially after that awkward incident from their study session where Pyrrha had to help Ruby collect those snacks off the tall shelf, causing her to force a display of… gratitude for something she didn't ask help for.

Unfortunately, Ruby knew that rejecting something she had already accepted would look a bit suspicious, and it would not taken lightly in front of both teams.

She'll simply have to make the most of the sparring session. "Sure!" She said with forced enthusiasm, "It'll be fun!"

Pyrrha smiled in delight, nodding in appraisal.

"I-I can help!" Jaune chimed in.

While Ruby would have welcomed company to help alleviate whatever awkward atmosphere might be developed from her end with Pyrrha, she was not willing to welcome Jaune if it meant helping him learn how to get in her sister's way later down the line when he could already be easily picked off. Especially when Ruby was already helping someone who was a renowned fighter get better.

Before she could attempt to portray a polite refusal, Pyrrha turned to him with an apologetic smile, "My apologies Jaune, but the point of this spar that I wish to partake in with Ruby, is to help me overcome my weaknesses in regards to strategies and styles that Ruby seems to excel at."

Confused, Jaune tilted his head quizzically, "Like what? I think you're already a great fighter."

"Well," Pyrrha paused, hesitantly glancing around at everyone else as she gave a sheepish smile, as though embarrassed at what she has to say. "Hand-to-hand combat for one. I never realized it, but I rely much too heavily on being armed with my weapons."

Jaune frowned, "But, I saw that fight you had with Ruby before. I think you're great at hand to hand."

Weiss rolled her eyes while Pyrrha simply gave a nervous smile.

"I suppose, but in the event I come across another fighter like Ruby, who seems to have boundless energy in regards to hand to hand combat, I would like to be more... confident in my abilities." Pyrrha stated.

"If you say so." Jaune offered.

Pyrrha nodded as she got up, looking over to Ruby with bright expectancy. "Shall we?"

Ruby looked up with wide eyes, and quickly back down to the rest of the food on her tray, including her dessert. "Can I-?"

"Oh! I'm sorry! Please, take your time." Pyrrha smiled as she sat back down and watched Ruby expectedly.

Ruby nervously glanced at Pyrrha with wariness, feeling the anticipation and excitement to spar together rolling off of Pyrrha in waves, and sighed in resignation. It was unlikely that she would be able to enjoy her food while under that gaze and briefly wondered if this was how Emerald felt with her on occasion.

… If it were, then Ruby was doubtlessly going to continue her actions.

She quickly shoveled the rest of her food down, swiping the juice carton that Ren had left and Weiss took (once again, eliciting her protest) and slurping it all up to wash down her food. Slamming it down on the table she heaved a sigh of relief, "Alright, I'm ready."

"Splendid!" Pyrrha enthused, standing up with Ruby.

"Is it… wise to eat before a starring session?" Blake asked

"Nonsense," Pyrrha said as Ruby waved Blake off

"It'll give us energy." The two commented at the same time, causing Pyrrha to beam and Ruby to give a nervous grin upon realization of what just happened.

Weiss sighed, "I wish I could join." She wistfully said, though knew after Pyrrha's proclamation that their sparring session would be a private affair.

Ruby grinned, "Aw, Weiss. Don't be jealous, you're still my partner." She teased, pinching Weiss's cheek and lightly shaking it.

Amused, Weiss slapped the hand away with a small smile. "I'm actually jealous of _you_. Pyrrha Nikos is a four time consecutive tournament champion, she would certainly provide more class than you in regards to technique. But alas, it seems as though she sees something worthwhile in you that I do not."

Ruby exaggeratedly clenched her heart at those words, "Oh how you wound me." She deadpanned, causing Pyrrha to chuckle.

Weiss harrumphed, "Whatever. I highly doubt I'd be much help anyway, all I would do is correct Ruby on her posture." She stated with a pointed glare. "How she manages to fight with such loose form is beyond me."

Ruby merely stuck her tongue out and walking off, waving to Blake and Yang.

"I'll see you later Jaune!" Pyrrha waved before briefly quickening her pace to catch up to Ruby. "So? How do you wish to proceed in our spar? Is there a specific area in which you wish to focus on?" she asked as the two walked out of the cafeteria.

Ruby knitted her brows together before shaking her head, "Why don't we just… spar for now?" She asked with a bit of hesitance, "After, we could just… tell each other what we saw went wrong. Or even during. Then next time, it's what we work on. That's how my family did it for me at least." She said with uncertainty, scratching the back of her head.

She'd never really had to help someone improve their fighting skills before, so she wasn't sure how to do so.

"That sounds excellent." Pyrrha nodded in approval

Ruby sighed in relief at having her "lesson plan" accepted, but she still felt as though she had to keep her guard up around Pyrrha. She mentally sighed, turning toward the hallway windows as she knew that it would be a long day for her if she was going to keep like this. Upon looking out, she noticed a small fleet standing by near the landing way and halted, narrowing her eyes in question at the sight.

"What's wrong?" Pyrrha asked, stopping a little too close to Ruby for her liking.

"Um… Just wondering what the commotion is all about." Ruby stated, taking a subtle step away from Pyrrha.

Pyrrha looked out the window and seemed to have recognized the ships, "Those are from Atlas. They must be here for the Vytal festival." She claimed, allowing her eyes to wander to each ship, though she stopped on one. "Although, I do believe _that_ ship belongs to General Ironwood. I… must say, I'm not certain as to why he would come here himself. Headmasters typically don't travel with their students on their trip to the festival." Pyrrha noted with slight question.

Ruby hummed in thought before she continued on. She would have to tell her sister later once she managed to find her scroll.

* * *

"So? What has you so worried?" Weiss asked Yang after closing the door to their dorm room after the two and Blake were inside.

Yang sat on her bed uneasily, shifting in discomfort as she twiddled around with her scroll. "It's… my investigator."

"Your what?" Blake asked in confusion.

"Why in the world do you need an investigator for?" Weiss asked

Yang squirmed in her seat, not looking at her teammate in the eyes as she tried to swallow the sudden lump in her throat.

She had never spoken about this out loud to another outside her family before, but knew she had to get it all out lest she wanted a repeat of the incident from a few years back.

Slowly, with shaky hands, she took out the tattered old picture that Blake and Weiss saw slip out of her pocket near the beginning of the school year and held it out for them to look at.

The two gave each other questioning glances as they sat on Blake's bed close to Yang's, and leaned forward to get a better look at the picture.

It was old, wrinkly, and there were distinct areas next to the little toddler that the little girl, they presumed to be Yang, that were nearly faded out, and worn thin. As though those spots had been rubbed or held at continuously and demanded that the viewer pay attention to the toddler in between the spots. The toddler that was beaming happily at the camera, showing off her bright and wide silver eyes while hugging Yang's hands that were holding her from behind.

"C-Cute right?" Yang asked with a shaky, choked voice, as a wide, adoring smile expressed itself while her lilac eyes locked onto the picture. "That's my baby sister." She whispered as she allowed her trembling hands to pull the picture back for her to get a better look at it, her thumbs placing themselves over the two, worn out spots that they belonged on.

Weiss and Blake's shoulders fell, their hearts breaking at seeing their friend silently weep as they kept quiet.

What else could they do but wait?

Yang sat in mournful silence, staring at the picture as a clear wall of tears built in her eyes that were filled with nothing but love.

Everything in the room seemed to stay frozen in place, inanimate objects seemingly coming to life to give their silence for Yang.

Weiss and Blake sat still on Blake's bed, casting their eyes down to the floor to contribute to the sorrowful gesture as they only heard the sound of the three's breathing.

Even the wind, usually so playful in its' action to provide a nice breeze through their dorm's open window, refused to enter.

It took several minutes until Yang exhaled out a heavy breath filled with burdened weight from so many years, and Weiss suddenly thought that her friend looked as though she had aged a few years from how tired she suddenly looked, how hard her eyes suddenly shifted as she glared at empty space.

"She was kidnapped." Yang gritted out, her eyes flashing red. "My baby sister, Ruby, she was kidnapped when she was just a little girl and she was taken straight out of our house!"

Weiss and Blake both snapped their eyes up, widening them in shock as they subtly leaned away from Yang who continued, her hair slowly rising and her body giving off heat from her semblance.

"If dad could have just- If he weren't-" Yang tried to grit out with clenched fists, but as if working like clockwork, she suddenly deflated. Her semblance deactivating with her exhale that sounded as though she was trying to give up.

Blake got up, hesitantly moving over to sit next to Yang to provide her subtle support.

It seemed that Yang was thankful for the action, as she casted a quick, small smile toward Blake.

Once again, Yang stared down at the floor before she continued on, thinking that if she didn't look at either of her teammates, then maybe it would be easier to speak. "I… Ruby… She's my half sister." Yang began, before backtracking. "Not like… Not our team leader Ruby of course. They just… happen to share the same name." Yang hesitantly said with a forced, humorous chuckle.

"My sister and I, we don't share the same mom." Yang continued, "My mom, she went missing a little after I was born. That, really hurt my dad." She said, tightly rubbing her intertwined hands together.

She didn't have to say it, but it was evident to Weiss and Blake that the action hurt Yang as well.

"But then, Summer, my step mom, she came in and helped!" Yang said, visibly brightening as she talked about the new woman before she shook her head with a chuckle and looked up to make eye contact with her team members, gesturing wildly. "She was like super mom. She whooped my dad back into shape and helped raise me! She would drag my dad out of the house so he could take me out and spent time with me. My uncle, Qrow tried to help too! Apparently she wasn't household material and couldn't cook well, so my uncle had to help with that. But! She tried her best to attend all my school events and meetings, and even when she had an important mission to go on, she would still take time off to go somewhere private so she could make a video call, just to make sure she could cheer on for me the loudest. After a couple of years, Ruby came and dad seemed like he was back to his old self." She said with a wide smile.

She paused, her smile shrinking as her gaze went back to the floor, her hands falling back to rest in the space between her legs, "But then, one day, Summer never came back. She… passed away during a mission, rescuing a family from danger." She stopped for a moment to swallow audibly. "Qrow was with her at the time, and was the one who had to tell us. Dad… didn't take it too well. He kind of… broke down."

"Y-You have to understand though, it isn't his fault!" Yang proclaimed, looking up at Weiss and Blake with wide, unconvincing eyes. "He- He had lost two women that he loved in such a short amount of time, s-so… he didn't know… he couldn't handle it." She said with uncertainty, looking back down to the floor.

"He couldn't… _function_ anymore." She said in a near whisper, her fists clenching once again though in sadness or anger, Weiss and Blake couldn't tell. "He seemed dead to the world and he would only move for basic necessities. He wouldn't even eat unless my uncle prompted him to. Ruby, my baby sister… She was still just… She didn't know what was happening."

Tears began pooling in front of Yang's eyes, wanting to fall, but like so many times before, she refused to allow them. "I can still remember, she would ask what was wrong with daddy. Why won't he talk to her? Why won't he play with her? Daddy, why won't you read her a story? Daddy, where's mommy? When is mommy coming home?"

She gave another humorless laugh, "That was the only time dad would react to her. When she asked where her mom was, he would answer that she went to heaven." Yang shook her head.

During that time, Weiss had lifted a hand up to her mouth, as though trying to block whatever sound may come out while gave a sorrowful frown, reaching a hand out to place on top of Yang's already intertwined hands in a comforting squeeze.

"Because dad was… unresponsive, my uncle and I were left to take care of Ruby since, she wasn't old enough to go to school yet." Yang continued on, "When my uncle had to leave on a mission though, he had to hire a babysitter to watch over Ruby."

She gritted her teeth, clenching her hands tighter and causing Blake to take her hand back. "That doesn't matter though if the babysitter doesn't come!" Yang growled, "If they just- DID their job. Or just, called to tell uncle Qrow that they couldn't make it, Ruby wouldn't have been kidnapped. I wouldn't have had to-" She shook her head, deflating once more.

"When I came home that day from school, the door was wide open… A few of our belongings were stolen, but that didn't matter because all I knew was that Ruby wasn't home." Yang said. "I called my uncle, who rushed back home. I had never seen him so angry before. He… He was so angry, he hit my dad, telling him to snap out of it."

"Dad broke down when he realized he let Ruby get kidnapped while he was home." Yang stated in a calm voice, the most calm Weiss and Blake heard since she began telling the story.

"Uncle Qrow found the burglar, but they said they didn't know about Ruby and saying that there wasn't a kid when they got there. Uncle Qrow had to send out an alert to the border guards to keep an eye out for Ruby, and sent her picture out." She continued, gritting her teeth once again. "It wasn't enough. That alert had been posted for 6 years with no sign of Ruby leaving the kingdom. They… The guards, they had to put the alert down. I… If police and guards can't find her, then _**I**_ will." She vowed, looking back up at Weiss and Blake with determination.

"But, I also promised Uncle Qrow and my dad that I would focus on school. That's why I hired an investigator." She confessed, grabbing her scroll again as she twiddled it between her fingers. "I lost touch with him though, and I'm worried something might have happened to him. Especially because the last time he gave me a report, it seemed like we were so close in finding out where my sister is. I- I don't know what happened. And that's why I've been so… preoccupied."

"Do you have any idea to his last whereabouts?" Weiss asked

Yang shook her head, "No. That's the thing. He just… disappeared."

"What about your sister? How much information do you have about her?" Blake asked.

"All I know is that she had to have grown up here in Vale, otherwise there would have been an alert for seeing her." Yang said, "That's… how I knew Ruby, _our_ Ruby, wasn't who I'm looking for because of how she grew up most of her life outside the kingdoms. Even if they share a lot of similarities." She finished, wilting at the proclamation.

"And she, my sister, was here. Close to Beacon!" Yang said, picking up her excitement once more. "That's what my investigator said in his last report. He was certain that she was last seen around in the city. But now he's gone, and I don't have any more information on her."

Leaning forward, Weiss placed her hand on top of Yang's with a small smile. "I'll help you."

"Yeah." Blake agreed as she did the same gesture, "We'll help you find out what happened."

Tearing up, Yang couldn't help but allow a few tears to fall as she unfolded her hands, and clasped the other two in between them, giving a quick squeeze. "Thank you." She whispered with a grateful smile.

Blake and Weiss could only smile in silence as Yang quickly let go of their hands to sniffle.

"It goes the same for you guys," She said, calming herself down as she wiped her eyes to free them of their tears. "If you need help, either with the White Fang or something else, I'm willing to give it." She grinned, casting glances for each problem to its' respective owner.

Weiss gave a knowing look toward Blake, whom sheepishly ducked her head.

"You're still thinking about them." Weiss stated.

"Yeah, it's just-" She shook her head, "I'm worried about what they're up to, they've never worked with a human before. They've never needed that much Dust before." She stopped as she stared at her hands in her lap. "Something big is happening, and it seems like no one is doing anything about it."

"It's not our job to worry about it." Weiss said with slight confusion, "We're just students. We're not supposed to get involved with matters such as that just yet."

"But that's just it," Blake exclaimed. "I was part of the White Fang, I can't help _but_ to worry about it. I just… I just want to know what they're up to, and maybe if I find out, then my mind will be at ease."

Yang placed her hand on Blake's shoulder, garnering her attention as she flashed a grin. "Don't worry Blake, we'll find out more about them. Right Weiss?" Yang asked, turning toward their other teammate, whom seemed tense.

"Weiss?" Blake asked softly, causing Weiss to blink in quick succession, as though to blink away her tension.

"I'm… sorry." Weiss apologized, "I'm just, still not over the impact that the Fau- the _White Fang_ brought upon my family." She confessed, causing Blake to wince as she brought a hand up to her bow reflexively.

"But, I refuse to allow that to get in the way of helping you." Weiss proclaimed as she scooted forward and leaned across the space to gently pull at Blake's arm down, "I just… I ask you to please, be patient with me. I'm still trying to… I _am_ making an effort to open my mind up and realize that just because you were a part of the White Fang, just because you're a _faunus_ , does not mean you share the same beliefs as them. That you're not just some… criminal for no reason."

Blake nodded, a sigh of relief escaping her breath. "Thank you."

Weiss merely smiled before she suddenly yelped as she was pulled, crashing in between Blake and Yang as her shoulders began feeling crushed together.

"Alright! Group hug!" Yang cheered.

"Yang… You're… crushing… me." Weiss tried to breath out.

Yang merely laughed, "Shut up and accept it. We need it."

"You're… making… it… difficult…. To…. breath!" Weiss attempted

"Yang. Please." Blake joined in, her voice getting smaller.

Yang quickly released them, causing the two to take deep, heavy breaths as they threw themselves away from their teammate who seemed to take joy out of their demise from the sound of her laughing.

And although they nearly died from lack of oxygen, the two couldn't help but smile as well upon seeing their friend loosening up, now happy.

* * *

Ruby took heavy, deep breaths as she landed on the cool floor of the sparring room, sweat dripping across her bow as the ceiling lights seemingly spun in circles. "I think… we need to call it a day." She dizzyingly confessed as she felt her aura level completely deplete, again.

She mentally groaned in embarrassment as she realized just how bad she was at "playing fair" and how bad she was in fighting someone with nowhere to run or hide. If she were more willing to expose her fighting style, if she was certain that she wouldn't be put in a disadvantage in the future, she was pretty sure that she would be able to beat Pyrrha no problem.

Or at the very least… tie.

Maybe if they were fighting in a different area where Ruby would have more room to run and hide, as well as more mobility, such as in the city or forest where she could easily climb around, she was absolutely positive that she would be able to win.

… Possibly

Unfortunately, like Cinder instructed her to, Ruby had no choice but to "play it safe" which, by default, meant "playing fair".

… Ruby hated "playing fair".

"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha yelled, running up to her and bending over to help her up with sweat rolling down her forehead as well. "Are you alright?"

Ruby forced a grin, "Y-Yeah. I'm alright." she confirmed, taking the offered hand that was overly warm like her own from the excursion to help her get back on her feet. "I just didn't expect that."

_That_ being Pyrrha suddenly disarming Ruby's weapons by flicking them away with her semblance, and then pulling her own disarmed shield back toward herself, and behind Ruby's legs to trip her while kicking at her upper body. It caused Ruby to suddenly spin backward and thus land how she did.

Pyrrha gave an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" Ruby asked questioningly with a laugh as she picked up her weapons.

"You're… not angry that I used an underhanded tactic?" Pyrrha asked

"No?" Ruby asked questioningly. "You won?"

"But I… I used my semblance unfairly." Pyrrha stated.

Ruby looked even more puzzled.

"I… never told you what my semblance was, so I caught you completely off guard by activating my polarity to pull my shield from behind you and procuring my victory." Pyrrha clarified

Ruby rubbed her neck, picking up her bag so the two could leave for their dormitories. She already knew about Pyrrha's semblance of course, but hadn't thought that Pyrrha would blatantly use it in a mere sparring match so was caught by surprise.

Ruby had been under the impression that Pyrrha didn't talk about her semblance because it was her ace. Strategically speaking, if Pyrrha hid that fact from her opponents, the more likely she is to catch them off guard and win. In other words, Ruby had thought it was Pyrrha's way of "cheating". She would lie about her semblance by omission, and then strike when it was least expected.

Evidently, it seemed to run much deeper than that and Ruby could tell, because unlike herself, Pyrrha seemed to _love_ playing fair.

When it came to semblances, polarity was definitely not a power to sneeze at. If Pyrrha wanted, she could take away her opponent's weapons, and use them _against_ her opponent. If Pyrrha wanted, she could make her opponent halt in place if they were wearing any metal armor or had any metal outfitted on their clothing. Pyrrha could doubtlessly, do so much with her semblance.

It was obvious though, that Pyrrha found it dishonorable.

"Anything goes in a fight." Ruby said with a small shrug, picking up Pyrrha's bag with her hook sword and flinging it over. "There aren't any rules that say you _can't_ use your semblance."

Pyrrha caught her bag with a small frown, "But I-"

"There aren't any rules that say you _have_ to tell someone about your semblance either." Ruby said, walking toward the exit, causing Pyrrha to quicken her pace to catch up. "It's... a good tactic."

Pyrrha was still frowning as she pulled her bag over her shoulder, contemplating over the matter.

Ruby stayed silent, knowing fully well that she wouldn't be able to say anything else that would convince Pyrrha that what she did was okay. Regardless, Ruby was certainly not going to deal with this awkward unease that Pyrrha was emitting for the rest of their walk back to their dorm, and forced a naturally sounding chuckle out. "Besides, I had it coming. I've been tripping you up all day." She shrugged.

That seemed to get Pyrrha to laugh as she nodded, "I suppose you had what was due." she drawled out in amusement.

Ruby forced another smile, until she heard something vibrate in Pyrrha's bag, causing her to arch a brow in question. "Um. I think your scroll is going off."

"What?" Pyrrha asked in confusion, peering down at her bag. "But I don't- Oh!" She dug through her pockets and pulled a scroll out before offering it to Ruby.

"I'm sorry! I forgot I had your scroll. You left it back in our dorm room yesterday during our study session."

"Oh! So that's where it was." Ruby said, taking her scroll with a smile. She wasn't worried about anyone going through it as she had placed a passcode on it.

"Don't worry, I didn't go through it." Pyrrha reassured, before pausing briefly. "Although, I couldn't help but notice that you had a couple of messages from a Sparkle Butt…?"

Ruby laughed, "Yeah that's my… uh…" What did she say Mercury was again? "My…. Uncle!" She finished. Mercury was pretty much like an uncle to her. He doted on her and wished to do nothing short of spoiling her. That was what uncles did right?

… How do uncles act anyway?

Pyrrha seemed to nod in understanding, giggling to herself at the title while Ruby opened her scroll. She saw that she had a few messages, two from Mercury as Pyrrha mentioned, and one from Cinder.

Opening the scroll (while ensuring that Pyrrha wasn't looking), she quickly read the messages and smiled widely.

Mercury and Roman had disposed of that annoying investigator that had been trailing after her.

She couldn't help but let out a giddy skip as she continued reading on, only to find out that Mercury, Emerald, Cinder, and Neo will be seeing her soon.

Opening the message from Cinder only confirmed it, stating that they'll see her within the next coming days.

At that, Ruby allowed a small little jig to take over her body as she quickly typed out a message back.

"I take that you received some good news?" Pyrrha asked with an amused smile.

"The best!" Ruby grinned as she pocketed her scroll, happily walking closer to their dorm rooms with a bounce in her step.

Pyrrha merely smiled, seemingly content to know that Ruby was cheerful and continued to make their way to the dorm room in comforting silence.

Upon arrival, Pyrrha turned to Ruby with a sheepish look, "So… would you terribly mind if we spar again?"

"Again?" Ruby asked half quizzically and half shocked, "But... you won. Both times. " Ruby hesitantly said.

"While that may be true, you… managed to drive me into a corner, both times." Pyrrha exclaimed with amazement, "I… you push me to stay on my toes. This is the third time that I've come close to losing."

Ruby arched a brow, slowly leaning away from Pyrrha as she gave the other a weird look, "You… like that?" Ruby asked causing a laugh to erupt from Pyrrha.

"I-" Pyrrha hesitated with a small smile, "-suppose you could say that." she confessed.

"Um... " Ruby had no idea what to say. She didn't know what to make of a person who _enjoyed_ the possibility of losing.

She herself, didn't like the feeling. Though, Ruby reasoned it was due to how she always had something to lose if she did.

Pyrrha didn't.

"Is… That a no?" Pyrrha asked with slight dejection.

Ruby quickly thought back to how Pyrrha had beaten her, already marking the score to three wins while Ruby had none. She thought about the idea of coming across Pyrrha, or someone like her, who was stronger than Ruby in certain circumstance.

With subtlety, Ruby's grip tightened as she remembered the time where she was nearly caught by the police during a mission with other members of the White Fang. She clenched her teeth as she remembered how close the investigator got to her, how close she was to be taken away. And she remembered the plan.

She couldn't afford to lose.

"Sure!" Ruby said with a false smile, "I'd love to spar again!"

Pyrrha visibly brightened at the confirmation. "Okay then. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." She asked more than said as she turned her body toward the door, holding onto the knob.

"Right." Ruby nodded, wiggling her fingers.

Pyrrha gave a small smile while opening the door. "Goodnight then." She said before entering her dorm, the door closing quietly behind her.

Ruby finally exhaled a sigh of relief, suddenly feeling incredibly tired from more than just physical exhaustion as she turned around. She warily eyed her dorm room door, remembering that she had to play somewhat nice with her teammates as well and allowed another wary sigh to be released.

She couldn't wait until her sister, Mercury, Emerald, and Neo came.

At least then she would finally get a nice, regular break to just… relax.

With a deep breath, she straightened her back and thought of another prank to pull over Weiss that would allow her to see the heiress's frustration, and smiled as she opened the door.

"Hey guys!" She sang, entering the dorm with a wave.

"Hey Ruby! How was your sparring session with Pyrrha?" Yang asked from her spot on the floor while holding cards in her hands and a board with pieces in front of her.

Weiss and Blake were in similar positions on different sides of the board, with Blake leaning over toward Weiss and pointing out different cards before they both looked up and waved or nodded in recognition to Ruby.

"She whooped butt." Ruby said, throwing her bag onto her bed and plopping down on the floor to join her teammates. "What's this?"

"We're playing Remnant, want to join?" Yang asked. "Blake and I are trying to teach Weiss to play."

Ruby looked down at the board with a small smile. It was one of the games she loved bring over to the base when she was younger. "Alright then! Don't think I'll show your people mercy!" Ruby exclaimed, scooting forward to get in position.

"Ha! It is your kingdom which will fall!" Yang proclaimed with a pointed finger.

"Bring it on!" Ruby yelled.

* * *

Cinder smiled down at her scroll at the brief message Ruby had sent her explaining why she wasn't able to message her all day or the night before and apologizing. Cinder didn't mind though, as all that mattered was how excited Ruby obviously was upon receiving both news.

It allowed Cinder to breath a small sigh of relief at the validation of Ruby not wanting to leave her.

Though she did arch a curious brow upon reading the message pertaining to the arrival of an Atlesian fleet, and Ironwood himself.

"Now remember Torchwick, there are four fire extinguishers in the house." Emerald warned, "So don't be so stupid to get the house burned down."

Roman waved her off with a lazy hand, slouching against the couch as he placed his feet on the coffee table. "Yeah yeah.

"And just because we're leaving, don't think it means you have it easy. You still have a job to do." Mercury said with a pointed fingers.

"Don't worry about it," Roman drawled out. "I'll have plenty of fun between the new recruits and toys we're getting. So go on. Shoo. And be sure to say Hi to Red for me."

Neo looked at him in concern.

"Go on Neo, I'll be fine. Have fun with Red." Roman said, repeating as he waved her away in a shooing motion.

Still concerned, Neo brought her hands in front of her, allowing her index finger and middle finger to close together as she placed her left middle finger on top of her right index finger, rubbing along the length. Then she pointed to herself, bringing it up to her chin with her fingerpad to the side and sliding her index finger toward him stiffly and raised her other hand as she closed both her thumb, ring, and pinky fingers together to allow her index and middle fingers to open up, her palm facing herself as she cycled both her hands toward Roman in semi circles.

' _I'll be sure to visit you soon'_

Roman couldn't help but allow a small smile, "Thanks Neo."

"Let's go." Cinder said, "We need to go get… settled." She finished with a small smirk, turning toward the door with her new uniform on.

 


	12. Cryptic Part 1

 

Ruby eyed the doorway of team CVFY's dorm room from inside, wondering exactly how Yatsuhashi could stand to bend over so frequently just to enter and exit through it.

Or if maybe he was just used to bending down all the time for doors.

After all, he was _really_ -

Glowering at the thought, Ruby shook her head to prevent herself from thinking it.

"Hey… this okay?" Cardin grunted out as he stood at the side of the door, holding out a clear film that stretched from the other side of the frame.

"No. You need to pull on it from the top." Ruby pointed out.

Cardin sighed as he followed her order, tugging a little from his hand stretched at the corner of the doorframe. "How 'bout now?"

Ruby critically eyed the sheet, searching for any sight of a stretch or shine before nodding in approval. "Looks good!" She claimed with a small grin. She pulled a chair over in front of the doorway and reached into her bag to pull out a roll of tape and began applying the adhesive on the clear sheet to stick to the door frame. After taping the top section, she carefully placed a "Got'cha" note with a silly drawing at the center, to ensure its' fall after the sheet was run into.

She nodded in approval.

Yatsuhashi deserved this.

And even if he didn't run into this, there was still a good chance that Coco or Fox would since they're also pretty-

Ruby shook her head again, refusing to think about it.

Cardin sighed in relief when she hopped down, allowing his arms to fall back below shoulder level and rotated them to get the kinks out.

"Alright, one more to go!" Ruby stated, exiting straight out of the room after putting the chair back in place.

Scrambling to gather the few materials, Cardin had to duck through the doorway, to ensure he didn't run into the carefully set prank (again), and quickly trailed after his boss after gently closing the door behind him.

For nearly the entire duration of lunch, the two had been setting up pranks for those with weekend morning classes, were away on missions, and who, according to Ruby, are fine being on the receiving end of said pranks. Cardin had no idea as to how Ruby was able to remember the schedule of so many people nor the idea of knowing those who were easygoing to take part of her endeavors, but they were humorous enough that he didn't mind helping her set them up.

It sure beat studying the layout and map of the school. Then again, apparently all that studying was meant to help her with her pranks.

Regardless of her mischievous undertaking, agreeing to run errands for her has been significantly smoother with each passing one. It… helped that Ruby had been lessening her threats against Cardin and his team.

Besides, it was… nice when they accomplished something to her liking. She would always smile, or hum in appreciation. And it even seemed like she was enjoying their company as of recent seeing as she would slow her pace to walk alongside them.

But when she had a small scowl on her face, it was the most terrifying thing.

Like the one on her face currently upon catching sight of Jaune exiting his dorm room and making his way over to her team's with a guitar strapped to his shoulder.

Out of reflex, Cardin tensed upon noticing his boss's expression, gripping onto the materials just a little tighter as he slowed his pace.

She quickly schooled her features though, forcing the corners of her mouth to turn up as she bounded over toward Jaune, causing Cardin to wince.

Being exposed to so many of her expressions for nearly half of a school year allowed him to identify and place just about every single one of hers. And while her scowls were terrifying, there was just… something horrific about her fake expressions.

It was just, unsettling.

"Jaune! What are you doing?" Ruby asked

"Oh! Hey Ruby," Jaune smiled brightly, causing Cardin to give him a piteous look. "I just- Well. The dance is coming up!"

"O… kay." Ruby nodded

"And I just thought that I should ask Weiss to it by song!" Jaune beamed, "L-Like in the movies! What do you think?"

Ruby stared at him, her fake smile stuck on her face as she just stood before him in silence. She could already feel the areas under her eyes begin to grow even heavier than they already were. "I think… No."

"Wha- N-No?" Jaune asked, flabbergasted. "B-But why?"

She continued staring at him, the corners of her mouth still pulled up as far as they could go, but now it was obvious that she did not even attempt to make it look genuine as her eyes didn't crease with her mouth.

While she would not call Weiss Schnee her friend, Ruby was not going to allow her team mate to suffer through a headache such as this.

"Look Jaune." Ruby started, mentally sighing to herself in annoyance as she wondered why she even had to explain this. "Weiss already expressed that she's not interested in you and she was pretty firm with it. So why would you want to keep going after her?"

"W-Well, I-I mean," He stuttered out, his cheeks turning red in slight embarrassment. "She's amazing, and pretty. And a great singer. And-"

"You have a crush on her." Ruby finished with a blank look, causing him to turn redder and wide eyed in shock.

He rushed forward to her, attempting to cover her mouth as he placed a finger to his mouth to gesture as he verbalize a "Shhshshhhh."

Ruby blocked his hand though, leaning away from it with curled lips.

"Do you want to tell the whole school?" He asked in a loud whisper.

"I'm pretty sure most of the school already knows." Ruby claimed, pushing him back gently while taking a large step away. "Anyway, you should really stop. A public rejection really should have told you that she's not interested."

Jaune frowned, "I don't get it. My mom told me that all women look for is confidence. I-I mean, Weiss was interested in Neptune! … Briefly."

The people sending the investigators after Ruby are pretty confident about taking her away from Cinder and everyone else too, but thankfully that annoyance ended, for now.

Ruby momentarily wondered if she could do the same to Jaune. It _would_ be rather easy.

…

But no. She couldn't.

For one, it was not her place to do so. Secondly, she was not _at_ the right place to do so.

She allowed a sigh to escape, "Listen Jaune, there's really no good way to tell you this, but what you're doing… it can actually be kind of annoying and kind of creepy."

"I-I… What?"

"Look at it from another perspective." Ruby continued, "Imagine…" She thought for a moment, before the corner of her eyes caught Cardin shuffling in place, and she smiled. "Cardin kept following you around." She said, causing Jaune to pale as he glanced over to Cardin, just noticing him and whimpering a little.

Ruby was quite aware of the bullying stunts Cardin pulled over Jaune during the first few weeks of school, the most memorable one where Cardin stuffed Jaune into a locker and sent him off flying. Which is why using him was a perfect example.

"And, he kept watching you. But you don't like it. But he likes you. So you tell him to stop. But he still keeps doing it. Because he has a crush on you." Ruby said, exaggerating each pause by a fraction of a second to show her point.

"I-I get it." Jaune nervously stated, eyeing Cardin in fear and taking a step back.

Despite winning a few matches against the other warrior, Jaune still couldn't help but feel a little intimidated by him. It seemed as though Cardin realized this as he threw a small smirk.

"I'm glad we could have this talk." Ruby nodded in approval.

Jaune bit his lip in thought, "I guess I should say sorry to her if I'm being…" he glanced back over to Cardin before quickly averting his gaze, "... Creepy."

Ruby nodded once again, this time with a satisfied smile.

Awkward silence settled over Jaune as he kept glancing up to Cardin and over to Ruby while shuffling in place.

"So… Uh… Exactly… Why is Cardin with you?" He asked

"That's because he's-" Ruby paused short of her explanation as she realized that she couldn't exactly tell people that Cardin was working under her because she used to blackmail him. "He's uh… He's…. Helping me." she finished lamely.

"Helping? With what?" Jaune asked, looking over to Cardin skeptically. He couldn't imagine Cardin willingly helping someone.

"Er… Yeah! He's helping me with… with…. Running errands!" She exclaimed, elbowing Cardin sharply in the side.

He nearly yelped at the sudden pain, but upon noticing (or rather sensing) Ruby's narrowed eyes and silent command, gritted his teeth to bear it as he forced a smile. "Uh. Yeah. Yup. I help her run… errands. All the time." Cardin nodded alongside Ruby.

"He always sees helpless little ole' me and always decides to help." Ruby continued.

"Yup. She's helpless alright." Cardin agreed, and not wanting to pass up the chance to sort of get back at her, he continued. "Because she's so shoRT!" He nearly yelped again at the sensation of his foot being stomped on, and although he didn't see it, he was able to sense the indignant glare Ruby was throwing his way for mentioning her height.

Cardin wondered if, for whatever reason, Ruby was used to having her height being poked at because she never truly got upset at him for pointing it out. She just seemed to act like a normal… well… short stack with a height complexion.

It was just about the only thing that he could get away with.

"Hahaha, yup. Just kind Cardin. Helping helpless little me!" Ruby grinned as Jaune gave a surreptitious glance between the two.

It was probably hard for him to imagine someone mean like Cardin going around and hanging out with someone as nice and fun-loving as Ruby.

Apparently, the three caused a bit of a commotion as the door to JNPR's dorm room opened once again, and Pyrrha's head peaked out to check on everything that was going on.

"Jaune? Is everything-" She began, concern on her face as she looked for her team leader before her eyes took notice of Ruby. Her expression changed to inquiry as the rest of her body emerged from the doorway. "Hello again Ruby. What a pleasant surprise! And-" She took notice of the third person, her eyes suddenly becoming guarded, her eyebrows lowered as she walked up to him, blocking his path from Ruby and Jaune as best she could. "Cardin. What are you doing here?"

Jaune seemed to relax at the presence of Pyrrha, happy to have someone standing in between him and the other.

Meanwhile, Cardin spluttered, intimidated by Pyrrha's appearance as he slowly stepped back, frantically glancing toward Ruby, who genuinely seemed entertained (though a little confused) by the situation, for help.

Noticing his silent cries, Ruby figured that she should put a stop on the situation before it escalated as she sort of stepped in between Cardin and Pyrrha. "He's just... helping me out Pyrrha."

The answer didn't seem to ease Pyrrha's concern as she frowned. "Helping? With what if you don't mind me asking?"

Recognizing that Pyrrha would not calm unless she obtained the truth, Ruby figured that it just might be easier for her and Cardin to get away and continue on with what they were doing if she just told Pyrrha. "He's helping me set up some pranks."

Cardin slightly relaxed in relief as he realized that he would no longer in danger. Though decided to keep his eyes on the situation.

"... Pranks?" Pyrrha asked in tone that implied she wasn't certain as to whatever was being spoken of.

"Yeah…?" Ruby answered uncertainly.

Upon the blank, questioning look she received, Ruby found that she had to fix this travesty that was Pyrrha's ignorance to the magic of mischief.

"So you set up this... trap-" Ruby began, gesturing with her hands in front of her to help show her explanation. "-for someone. And the point is that you try to fool them into falling for the trap so you can laugh."

"That sounds terrible." Pyrrha exclaimed in concern, her hands pressed together in a silent prayer as she held it against her mouth. "Why would you hurt someone for a laugh?"

"Er. No. No one is supposed to get hurt by the prank." Ruby frantically waved, as though to erase her previous words. "The trap is harmless. It's just a silly little thing that people fall for."

"But… Why would you set up a trap that is harmless?" Pyrrha asked, her hands falling back into place as she thought about the strategic implications for a battle.

"It's just supposed to be funny." Ruby said with a small smile. "Like that time when Ren's body had pink coloring? It was because he fell for the prank."

"Ohhh." Pyrrha sounded with a slow nod as she finally understood. "It is all for jest!"

"Yes!" Ruby confirmed with a wider smile.

"So what is it that Cardin is helping you do?" Pyrrha asked in curiousity.

"Oh, well." Ruby glanced back over to him, who had an eyebrow that was pulled up in interest toward her, before glancing back up to Pyrrha. "He's helping me go around and setting up clear sheets at people's doors for them to run into. We were just about to set up one at my room so Weiss could-"

"Ruby?! What are you doing?"

The sound of Weiss shrilling her demand down the hallway made Ruby freeze as she turned around, seeing her teammates walking toward her. Blake and Yang were both walking slightly slower than Weiss, who was marching up to Ruby with a sense of purpose.

"Nothing!" Ruby squeaked, before she hurriedly gestured to Cardin to put the items behind his back. "Hide them!" She hissed.

Weiss's eyes narrowed down at her, coming to a halt a few feet away as she pointed an accusatory finger toward her leader. "Don't lie to me. You were going to set something up against me weren't you?"

"No I wasn't!" Ruby claimed, causing Pyrrha to look questioningly down at her.

"But you just said-" Pyrrha began.

Ruby frantically waved her hands about, holding a single finger to her lips as she attempted to hush Pyrrha with a "ShshShhhhh." Only to elicit an amused, but confused expression to cross from Pyrrha.

"Ah ha! So you _were_ planning on pulling something over me." Weiss glared.

It was too late, Ruby knew that her prank mission failed. The only hopes she had to salvage this situation and for redemption was to pretend it wasn't going to happen. To Weiss.

"Not everything is about you Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air.

"When it comes to all your 'mischievous misdemeanors' then it usually is." Weiss enunciated with air quotes before crossing her arms in indignation.

"You're just all huffy because you fall for all of them." Ruby sassed

A sigh broke the bickering between the two, "Why can't the two of you just… get along for once?" Blake asked wearily.

"Blake! Please! If it were not for her… shenanigans, then we would not have problems in the first place!" Weiss protested.

Blake could only give a small nod of agreement.

Ruby stuck her tongue out in defiance.

"Ruby. _Please._ " Blake sighed

Ruby merely huffed, crossing her arms as a frown worked its' way up on her face, causing Blake to breath a sigh of gratitude in knowing that the situation would not escalate any further.

Pyrrha nervously glanced back in between Weiss and Ruby, unsure of what to do to help calm the situation, before she can voice anything out, Ruby beat her to it.

"Wait a second… You guys are back early by a few minutes." Ruby stated with slight confusion. "Are you going out somewhere?"

"Hm. The way you manage to keep track of so many schedules and correctly use deductive reason to guess one's current train of action never ceases to amaze me." Weiss hummed in praise. "But yes. We do have some important business to attend to in town."

"You should come with us." Yang grinned, "It'll be fuuun." She sang.

Blake nodded, "We'll also be a bit more productive if you helped." she reasoned.

Weiss was inclined to agree.

"Oh. Gee. Uh." Ruby began and already, Cardin could tell that his boss did not have any desire to join them, "I'd love to! But I kind of already have plans to meet with Glynda."

Everyone (besides Cardin) looked at her with astonishment. Unsure of whether or not to be astonished at the fact that Ruby had been able to make plans with the professor, or the fact that the professor had willingly made plans with Ruby.

"Did you finally get in trouble?" Weiss voiced out.

"No. Glynda is helping me with weapon maintenance and upgrading!" She stated with a large, excited smile on her face. "You see, I've wanted to add these mechanism to my swords to help improve my flexibility, but I never knew how and I was too scared to do it myself. So I asked Glynda and she said that she would be more than willing to help me!"

Her teammates couldn't help but share her excitement, knowing fully well that Ruby had no other choice but to settle with her current build of her weapons due to her inaccessibility to a proper education growing up.

"Awww! That's great! I'm happy for you!" Yang encouraged, clapping Ruby on the back to emphasize her statement.

Blake also smiled, "I'm glad that you'll be able to upgrade your weapons to how you want now."

"It's certainly worth leaving us." Weiss nodded

Ruby merely grinned, beaming under all the positivity heading toward her way. "I'll try not to have too much fun without you guys." She stated, causing Yang to laugh.

"Don't worry, we're not _too_ jealous." Yang said, nudging Ruby a bit.

"Well, try not to do anything that I would." Ruby cheekily stated

"We won't." Weiss deadpanned, causing Blake to shake her head with an amused smile as the three went into the dorm room to change and leaving Pyrrha, Jaune, Ruby, and Cardin out in the hallway.

"Well that was…" Jaune began, though was left unsure how to finish his sentence.

"... Interesting." Pyrrha finished for him.

Even Cardin was a little stupefied at the team's rather odd dynamic, though he was mostly surprised at how Ruby seemed almost... relaxed, even silly, with her team. Though just barely. The moment they left, Ruby seemed to be back on her guard and her eyes seemed to dull.

"Are you four always like that?" Pyrrha asked Ruby who half shrugged.

"Pretty much." Ruby answered, glancing on over to the door of her dorm room with a sigh. "I guess we're finished with our pranks then." She concluded, causing Cardin to mentally thank Remnant.

"Let's go return that stuff to Sergeant." Ruby said to him, eyeballing the materials in his hands.

"We'll see you later then Ruby." Jaune waved.

Pyrrha waved good-bye to Ruby as well.

Ruby continued waving to them cheerfully until the two disappeared back into their room, and within a split second, her eyes seemed to have lost what little luster they had left before turning down the hall and walking.

It was as though she had lost all sources of amusement, and Cardin wished, he preferred the look she had when she was with her teammates.

While she was only just barely relaxed, while her guard that was constantly up was barely let down, she still seemed… well… alive. It was sharp contrast to her usual demeanor; languid, idle, cold eyes that always seemed calculating, watching every movement with interest and amusement as though she were above it all just so she could wait for a moment to strike with mischievous intent.

With her teammates, Ruby seemed to actually be present and not in her mind with constant thinking, constant planning.

With her teammates… Ruby didn't seem to actually think much about her actions.

It made Cardin feel… happy that his boss had some people to open up to. Even if it was just a little.

"Cinder?"

Cardin snapped his head up in confusion upon hearing Ruby speak, looking up to find who it was that Ruby was speaking to and seeing three students from Haven walking down the hallway toward them.

"Hello Ruby!" The one in the center, leading the other two smiled.

"Oh my gosh! You're here!" Ruby exclaimed, running up to Cinder with a wide, excited smile that was even wider than when Ruby was talking about upgrading her weapons, and gave her a crushing hug.

Cardin's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets at the display of affection. He had thought that Ruby was incapable of such things.

"Mercury! Emerald! When did you guys get here? I thought you weren't coming for days!" Ruby rushed out, glancing between the three as she leaned away from Cinder, but not out of their hug.

"We just got here this morning." Mercury chuckled, ruffling Ruby's hair. "Along with the rest of Haven students."

"Which, if you had paid attention to when Haven was arriving, you would have known that we would be here too." Emerald haughtily stated while poking at Ruby's forehead.

Ruby stuck her tongue out, blowing a raspberry at her.

Cinder gave a small frown upon noticing something, bringing a hand up to Ruby's face and lightly pulling under her eye with a thumb. "Ruby… Why have you not been sleeping enough?" She softly, but sternly demanded, causing Ruby to nervously chuckle as she tried to pull away from the hold. Only for Cinder to tug her head back into place as both Mercury and Emerald leaned closer with concern, noticing the slightly darker lines under her eyes.

"I have been!" Ruby vowed, "Honest! It's just… Well there were a few tests recently and uh… I guess I've been helping someone out with something too, so that's been tiring me out."

Her tiredness also probably had something to do with that recent, emotional and stressful bout with Blake and the fact that she had to constantly show her… pleasantries to people even when she doesn't want to. The constant motion of studying for her classes, analyzing other students, keeping a somewhat low profile in sparring class (and now, with Pyrrha), and ensuring her well-likeness around campus, then of course it would eventually take a toll on Ruby.

But… she refused to acknowledge the fact.

"That's not good," Cinder sighed, letting her hand drop from Ruby's face. "You need to ensure that you stay well rested. Have you at least been eating properly?" She asked.

Ruby pouted, puffing her cheeks out at the question. "Of course I have." She huffed. "I've eaten loads!"

Cinder smiled in amusement, bringing her hands up to pinch Ruby's cheeks, "Hm. Considering the sudden appearance of the pudge on your cheeks, then I suppose it must be true." She teased before squeezing them together to force the air out, allowing Ruby to take the opportunity to blow another raspberry. Cinder grinned a little wider before pulling on them again. An easy feat considering how elastic Ruby's cheeks looked.

Ruby whined before bringing her own hands up to pinch at Cinder's cheeks and slightly tugging at them in silent demand for Cinder's to do the same.

Though it was evident that Cinder refused to allow this to happen, taking advantage of the height she had over Ruby as she merely pulled her head away with a smirk to prevent Ruby from properly grabbing her skin.

"Si~s!" Ruby whined the word with slight contortion due to her cheeks still being held and stretched.

"Ruby!" Cinder mimicked with a grin, squishing her sister's cheeks in as Ruby continued to struggle reaching for a hold of Cinder's face.

Witnessing Ruby's difficulty of getting back at her sister due to her shortness, Cardin realized one of the reasons as to why his boss had such a height complex.

Mercury seemed to have caught him staring, looking up from his source of entertainment after sensing someone watching, and his eyes hardened.

Cardin froze, like a deer caught in headlights as his knees began to tremble.

"And who are you?" Mercury asked with a slight growl.

"Uh… I-I…" Cardin swallowed hard, not sure why he was so frightened by a mere question when Mercury hadn't even done anything yet. He tried glancing over to Ruby in vain as she wasn't even paying attention to him. Instead, he caught sight of a fierce glare Emerald was throwing his way.

"That's Cardin!" Ruby stated, her words still contorting in various sounds as Cinder continued squishing and pulling on her cheeks. "He's sort of like a gopher."

"So Roman." Emerald summarized.

"Yeah. But if Roman couldn't steal."

"Then Mercury." Emerald mocked, throwing a side smirk over to her affiliate.

"Oh how you wound me." Mercury drolled, placing his hand over his chest.

"Less drama, more huffy." Ruby said, still focusing on trying to grab Cinder's cheeks.

"Then basically Emerald." Mercury snarked.

"She said no stealing." Emerald growled.

Cardin could only watch in complete confusion as the 4 continued talking amongst themselves, completely engrossed in one another. It… felt like he didn't belong there at all. Like he shouldn't even be watching this moment despite the fact that he was the subject.

"Now now," Cinder began in a quiet tone, making Emerald and Mercury immediately silence themselves while Ruby continued whining and grunting as Cinder kept amusing herself with her younger sister's cheeks. "Whoever he's most like, I'm sure that he's still a diligent worker who would, with no doubt, continue serving and being loyal to Ruby even if he dies. Am I right?" Cinder asked Cardin with a silent glare.

The look caused a harsh shiver to run down Cardin's back, his legs trembling even more than before as he nodded harshly. "Y-Yes Ma'm."

Apparently the confirmation wasn't enough for Cinder as she narrowed her eyes which began to glow down at him, "Swear it."

"I-I swear that I will r-risk and serve my l-life to Ruby." He stuttered out.

Cinder hummed in amusement, returning her gaze back to Ruby's face. "I"m happy that you were able to find someone so useful and compliant dearest sister."

"Can you let go now?" Ruby whined, her eyes slightly tearing up from all the prolonged pinching and stretching, already giving up trying to get back at her sister and instead, placing her hands over the other's in a slight attempt to prevent any more abuse to her face.

Cinder smirked, letting go of Ruby's cheeks and slipping her hands out from under her younger sister's.

Ruby rubbed her slightly swollen and deeply red cheeks with a pout, tearfully grumbling at Cinder for putting her through all that pain before glaring away.

Cinder cooed down at her, "Awww, don't be so mad Ruby."

"I will get my revenge." Ruby vowed, refusing to even look at her sister as Mercury snickered at her words and misfortune.

"You say that all the time." Emerald stated, rolling her eyes.

"That's because I will!" Ruby declared, dramatically shaking her fist in the air. "With the help of Neo, we will get revenge on all of you- where's Neo?" She asked, looking around as she just noticed her absence.

"Helping Torchwick." Emerald said

"He's in charge of the faction meeting tonight," Mercury explained before allowing a small crooked smirk to tug on one side of his cheek. "And the new recruits."

"It's to show off the new military weapons." Emerald finished, causing Ruby to gasp. Emerald donned a look of arrogance at the reaction, lifting her chin up as she taunted, "We got them while you were away."

"You stole new weapons without me?" Ruby asked in an accusatory tone toward an amused Cinder.

"We couldn't exactly pull you out of school when it happened." Mercury said.

Ruby pouted. "But! I wanna see them! What are they like? Are they robots? Giant robots? Do they shoot laser beams? Can they fly? Do they come with death rays? Can they teleport? COME ON! I WANNA KNOW!" Ruby whined, as the temptation to just melt down to the floor and bang on it grew stronger.

"If you want," Cinder began. "You can go take a look at them tonight. It would do the recruits some good to know who you are."

Ruby allowed another gasp, this time of excitement, to sound. "Really?"

Cinder nodded with an affectionate smile. "You can pick Neo up before returning. Just promise not to get into any trouble."

"Yes! I'll try my best not to!" Ruby fist pumped, right when her scroll began beeping. "Oh. That's my alarm, I need to go." Ruby frowned.

Emerald seemed confused, furrowing her brows in slight annoyance. "What's so important?"

"Well, I have this meeting with a teacher to help me improve my weapons' build." Ruby stated sheepishly. "Send me the info about the meeting?"

Cinder nodded, "Maybe we'll see you around." she teased, opening her arms for Ruby to enter.

Ruby giggled, wrapping her arms around Cinder in a hug and giving her a quick squeeze before the two separated. "Maybe! C'mon Cardin, let's go!" She called before they departed from one another.

Cardin nodded, silently following after his boss and ducking his head to avert his gaze from the other three.

When they were far enough and he felt safe, he finally allowed himself to relax.

"Don't tell anyone who they are." Ruby said, causing Cardin to tense again.

"I-I had no plans to." He reassured.

"Good." Ruby nodded with a smile, allowing him to relax as he smiled, albeit nervously, back. "Now, I really gotta go before I'm late. So, after you take these back to Sergeant, you can take some time off until I call you again."

"Thanks." Cardin smiled before Ruby left him in a hurry to meet with Glynda.

* * *

"What do you mean you don't know what happened to him?!" Yang yelled, slamming her hands down on the bar countertop harshly.

Blake and Weiss glanced to each other nervously, standing a few feet away from behind Yang as they watched her interrogate some shady owner of a nightclub that she had taken them to while being surrounded by what they can assume to be guards.

"I mean he disappeared! Gone! Dropped from the face of the planet!" The owner of the nightclub, Junior (as Blake and Weiss found out to the latter's disdain) repeated as he massaged his forehead from the obvious stress in front of him.

"Well figure out where he disappeared off to or help me get more information for my investigation otherwise you're going to wish _you_ were gone!" Yang gritted out with a clenched fist.

"Hey! Sit your ass down and cool it." Junior pointed down to emphasize his demand.

Yang gave a weary sigh, wilting as she slumped over on her stool and leaned onto the bar with her hand rubbing her scalp. "Look, I'm sorry okay? I'm just frustrated. He was really close with his investigation and all of a sudden dropped out of contact."

Junior sighed himself. "Alright, look Blondie. If it's information from the guy you need, I can get it." He tried to placate with his palms out. "I can track his scroll and download everything he last updated or input onto it, to easily make a duplicate." He explained.

Yang suddenly straightened up with renewed interest, "Then what are you waiting for? Do it!" She demanded, emphasizing each word with a clap onto the countertop to encourage his haste.

"I'm going! I'm going." Junior relented, stalking away from the counter to go into a backroom.

"That was most impressive." Weiss stated, eyeing the door Junior exited through.

"How do you know him again?" Blake asked warily. It wasn't everyday that a friend had connections with some real shady people.

Yang gave a low chuckle, "I got a tip that he knew about all the dealings in Vale and had men to lend. So I came in and asked for his best investigator. I couldn't afford the initial price and he didn't want to bargain."

"You didn't start a fight did you?" Weiss asked aghast.

"What? No!" Yang denied, "Before I could leave, Junior stopped me so he could talk to his buddy and hashed out a discount."

"That's rather... generous of him." Weiss said with a bit of skepticism.

"Yeah, I thought so too. I asked him about it and he told me that it's kind of a family thing to help out kids that come to their place" Yang shrugged.

"Alright, here you are blondie." Junior's voice came as a scroll slid down to Yang while he walked back to his spot behind the bar.

Yang checked the scroll, going through a bit of the information before nodding in approval. "Thanks Junior." She said before getting up and walking toward the door with Weiss and Blake.

"Anytime." Junior grumbled, as he picked up a glass to clean.

By the time the three got out, they quickly slid into a cab that they had hailed earlier (asking the driver to wait for them). Weiss tried to peek over Yang's shoulder to see what was on the scroll, but was nudged sharply in the side by Blake to stop.

She had no choice but to settle for asking, "So? What did your investigator find out?"

Yang glared down at the scroll, a deep frown on her face as she violently shoved it into her pocket. "Apparently, the investigator found out that the last place Ruby's trail leads to is Vacuo, of all places. Robbing a dust shop." She grunted out in agitation.

"I mean… What was she doing all the way over there? How did she get there? Why did she leave Vale? Is she all right? Why was she robbing a dust shop? Is she poor? Does she need help? Has she gotten sick? Is she eating okay?" Yang continued asking herself, growing more and more anxious with each passing one.

"Yang. Please." Weiss interrupted, placing her hand on Yang's shoulder to help draw her attention. "I'm sure your sister is… relatively fine. Besides, chances are unlikely that she is dire financial need as one simply just does not rob a dust shop for money."

Blake nodded in agreement, "If anything, she just might need dust to help her stay safe."

Yang's eyes widened in fear while Weiss shot Blake a look of disapproval for increasing their friend's fears.

"Listen, I'm sure she is in better condition than what you think." Weiss tried to console.

"You don't know that!" Yang woefully stated, "And I don't know that! And I can't find out because she's in Vacuo and I'm here!"

"Which is why _**I**_ will gather some files from that dust shop while gathering information for Blake at the CCT." Weiss reasoned, "It'll be easy for me to access the records in that area."

Yang sighed in relief, "Thanks Weiss."

Weiss hummed as the car stopped, quickly paying the driver as Blake got out and opened the door for her. "You're welcome." She said as she and Yang exited as well.

"That was nice of you." Blake whispered to Weiss as she closed the door after.

Weiss preened at the compliment, throwing her hair back behind her shoulder. "It was only natural seeing that I _am_ the one who called the cab."

Blake smirked, her eyebrows twitching in amusement. "I meant what you're doing for Yang."

"Oh!" This time Weiss glanced down nervously, "It's nothing. Just a simple feat for someone like myself."

"Regardless, it was nice." Blake nudged, eliciting a small smile from Weiss as they entered the CCT.

Yang stood near the center of the lobby area, staring up at the high ceiling, numerous balconies, and the crystal clear windowed elevators overlooking them with awe. "It looks a lot bigger on the inside." She whispered.

"This is nothing compared to the one in Atlas." Weiss informed as the three made their way to an elevator. "While yes, this is rather impressive, it seems to be a major part of the city and out of the Vale Council's way, but instead - close to Beacon Academy. The CCT in Atlas is at the center of the kingdom due to the fact that the government, military, and education system are integrated. Everything in Atlas is built around the tower to accommodate it. It was also the first one to be built. I suppose due to that reason, they wished for it to be the most imposing before gifting the other three communication towers to the other kingdoms after the Great war."

"But, I must say. The one here seems," Weiss looked around, as if searching for the correct word to place. "More welcoming." She smiled as they entered a lift and pushed a button for one of the higher floors.

"The one in Atlas is known to be guarded heavily with security." Blake explained after noticing Yang's puzzled look. "They know who is in the tower and why they're in the tower at all times. I believe it's more of a formality then it is for security though."

"Correct." Weiss nodded, stepping out of the elevator once it stopped. "They simply wish to show the public the exact importance of the tower. After all, without it the kingdoms would no longer be able to contact each other and their people to each other. All information that could easily obtained from servers would be lost as well. Being able to provide such an important item to the world is one of Atlas's most proud achievements. So they wish to showcase it to their people."

"Atlas kind of sounds like they're full of themselves." Yang muttered, though was sharply nudged by Blake who nodded over to Weiss. Realizing her mistake, Yang tried to backtrack and began stuttering. "Uh. Not that… All Atlesians… Well… I mean, Weiss is kind of- But not as bad."

Weiss hummed as she sat down on one of the free computers, "I have to be inclined to agree. I have met one a many of politicians, CEOs, and military commanders due to being the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, so yes. We do have a tendency to be… self-centered. I suppose." She confessed before connecting a call.

Yang and Blake glanced to each other, and before either one of them could even try to tell Weiss differently, the call was answered.

"Thank you for calling- Oh! Miss Schnee, good afternoon!" An employer greeted, their face coming into view with the Schnee Dust Company logo behind them. "Would you like me to patch you through to your father? I believe your sister, Winter, is also here."

"Good afternoon." Weiss greeted with an amiable smile, "And as pleasant as that may sound, I'm actually calling in hopes of obtaining some data for my friends and a school project. I've already compiled a short list." She stated, already inserting her scroll into the designated station

"Friends you say?" The employer asked with an arched brow, looking behind Weiss and a much too wide smile.

"... Yes." Weiss nodded.

The employer seemed to bounce a little in giddy, glancing over to the side to take a look at the information. "Right away ma'- Um. I'm sorry ma'm, but there are some really sensitive documents that you're requesting."

"I understand. Please do not worry, my friends and I will be sure to treat them with the utmost care." Weiss promised. "But some of that is incredibly vital to some… personal interests."

The employer pursed their lip in thought, glancing between the three before nodding. "Very well then." They stated before sending the requested information. "The data is being transferred to your scroll now."

"Thank you very much. That will be all then." Weiss smiled, attempting to disconnect the call.

"Are you sure you don't wish for me to patch you through to your family before you?" The employer hurriedly asked, "I'm certain that they'll be happy to see that you've made new friends."

"Yes." Weiss hesitantly answered with a shaky smile. "I'm sure."

"Alright then. Have a nice day." The employer stated before disconnecting the call and allowing Weiss to sigh in relief.

"Are you okay?" Blake asked, noticing the wry look on Weiss's face.

"I'm fine." Weiss nodded, swiveling around in the seat and standing up to face Yang. "Here, I'll send you the information on that dust shop your sister was last seen." She said, holding her scroll out as the three began walking back to the ground floor.

"Thanks Weiss. You're the best." Yang smiled, "But I'll check it out when we get back to the dorm. For now, we should focus on Blake."

"You mentioned something about… faction meetings?" Weiss asked in a low voice to ensure no one heard them.

"Yes. The White Fang holds regular faction meetings." Blake restated, "If I can just infiltrate one, I can-"

"Wait. Hold on. No way." Weiss shook her head, "There is absolutely no reason for you to infiltrate one all by yourself. It's too dangerous."

Blake frowned, "But there is no other way to find out what they've been up to. You and Yang aren't Faunus either, so you can't exactly help infiltrate a meeting with me."

"Well you can't go in by yourself." Weiss repeated with a hiss.

"Then what do you suggest?" Blake argued.

"I-" Weiss hesitated, "I don't know. I just know you can't go in there alone!"

Blake was about to try and continue their argument, until Yang placed herself in between the two and got their attention.

"Look, it's fine. Weiss and I can just hide around a corner and wait for you." Yang interjected. "This way, if Blake needs any help, we can easily come running in."

Blake smiled at Yang in gratitude while Weiss huffed in annoyance.

"Fine." Weiss irritatedly and reluctantly agreed, "But I don't approve of this. If Blake gets hurt then-"

"I'll be fine." Blake tried to placate her teammate. "I have you two watching my back."

* * *

"I think that's enough for today Miss Fall." Glynda announced. "We'll have to pick this back up some other day."

"That's fine! I think that this is more than enough!" Ruby happily cheered as she gathered her books and dozens of notes. "Thank you so much for putting in some time for me!"

Glynda gave a small smile, "I'm more than happy to help. Now, just remember to go over your notes before our next session and to put some thought into what upgrades you wish to include for your weapons, that are realistic. I understand the excitement you hold for your fanciful wishes, but you must understand that there is no practical reason to incorporate… rocket launchers into your weapons and fighting style. Then, we'll go over the applications, draw out the plans, and build a few trial cases for you."

Ruby nodded along, "Alright! Again, thank you so much! You're the best professor ever!" Ruby announced.

At the proclamation, Glynda indulged herself to a self-satisfied look. "You're very welcome Miss Fall, but please do be sure to tell the rest of your teachers that."

"I will." Ruby jauntily saluted, "Have a good night Capt!" she waved before rushing out of the room while Glynda mouthed her new title to herself, this time with a nod of approval.

Ruby continued running through the halls, smiling at herself in pure happiness.

Everything seemed to be going right for her today; she was properly learning how to upgrade her weapons, her sister and everyone had arrived to school, and she was going to see Roman and the arsenal he had at his disposal.

She did a quick, giddy jump into the air just thinking about seeing the new weapons.

Then after, she and Neo will hang out for a while, getting into some mischief while Roman tags along or amuses himself. After a while, she and Neo will return back home (or… the dorms in this case) and she'll be able to wind down and relax with Cinder, Mercury, Emerald, and Neo.

 


	13. Cryptic Part 2

 

Ruby pulled out her scroll as she hurriedly walked through town to check on the time, already having changed out of her uniform and equipping her weapons back at her dorm room. If she started running, she could probably make it to the meeting before it began.

If she did that, she would be able to grab Neo and ask for her uniform, something Neo somehow seemed to have near her person at all times.

Ruby wasn't going to question it.

Making up her mind, she quickened her pace to start a run, only to slam right into something.

"Oh! Salutations mate- Ruby!"

Or someone…

"Penny!" Ruby exclaimed, suddenly experiencing a strong case of deja vu. "I didn't see you there."

"It's okay." Penny cheerfully stated, "You seem to have a aptitude for running into people."

"Just you." Ruby laughed uneasily. Though… when she thought about it, there were several times when she was younger when she would always run into everyone back at base… That didn't matter though. "It was nice running into you, but I really need to go somewhere."

"Oh… Okay." Penny sagged in disappointment

Ruby hesitantly took another step away, but was unable to take her eyes off of the other's sad, puppy eyed expression.

… Maybe this was why Mercury and Roman had difficulty saying no to Ruby…

"Um… Well… I can probably hang out for a little while longer."

Penny visibly brightened, clapping her hands together in excitement. "Most excellent! What shall we do then Mate-Ruby?" She suddenly gasped as she was struck with an idea, "I know! We can, go shopping! It'll be fun! We could pick outfits for each other, do each other's makeup and nails, and tell each other 'That looks great on you, you should get it'! That _is_ what teenagers do, correct?"

Ruby's smile strained at the thought of going shopping and sitting through a flurry of outfit changes… She already had to deal with modeling a number of outfits for Cinder, Neo, and Roman and while the end product was exciting, causing no qualms for her to do outfit changes for specific events, actually sitting through and searching for the perfect outfit was murderous.

She was not willing to go through that whole ordeal if she could help it.

"How about we just… hang around?" Ruby suggested

"That sounds splendid!" Penny agreed before the two began walking, "Is it acceptable if I pose a query on your past matters leading to this point?"

Ruby looked up in thought as she tried to recall recent events, "Well, other than keeping grades up and preparing for the Vytal Festival, I haven't really been up to anything."

Penny leaned in with a skeptical look, "Are you certain? Your stress levels indicate- I mean. You look _really_ stressed."

"I'm fine." Ruby attempted to reassure, suddenly feeling self conscious about the dark circles under her eyes and lifting a hand to touch one. Were they really that noticeable? "What about you? How have you been?"

"I have been fa~ntastic! Thank you for asking!" Penny delightfully answered. "My father has expressed his permission of allowing me to access any area through Vale. It is very exciting."

"You mean you weren't allowed to before?"

"Oh no, I had to… sneak away as people say." Penny elaborated, "You see, I've never been outside of Atlas before. So my father was very wary about allowing me to venture out on my own, and asked that I don't leave the company of my caretaker or the guards who have gained permission to accompany me. It wasn't until recently that he changed his mind."

"Your dad sounds like a bit of a pain." Ruby bluntly stated.

"You have to understand, my father loves me very much." Penny began solemnly, "He just worries a lot."

Ruby frowned in thought, recalling how her sister always acts when it came to her. "Believe me, I know the feeling."

"My caretaker on the other hand…" Penny rolled the statement, "Can be a bit… much. It's because of him I still have to, sneak away, as it is."

Ruby arched an eyebrow.

"He seems to be very paranoid for some reason." Penny stated, "He claims that there are some dangers lurking in this kingdom and asked that I do not stray too far from his supervision."

"Dangerous?" Ruby asked

Penny nodded, "Yes. Oh! But I shouldn't be telling you this. So I must apologize as I request that we redirect the topic of our conversation."

Ruby pondered on what Penny might have meant, but shrugged it off as she heard something that caught her interest. She'll think about it later.

"Oh my gosh! Those are the AK-130 models." Ruby exclaimed as they passed by an Atlas demonstration, presented by a holographic Ironwood.

He was easily recognizable throughout most of Remnant since he helped move a project to provide robotic security to remove people from the dangers of battle.

But Ruby could care less about them, she was more interested in the models.

The robots were where it was at.

"Ruby… I would very much appreciate it if we could depart soon." Penny stated in concern.

Ruby didn't seem to be paying attention as Ironwood quickly introduced the new Atlesian Knights. She was inclined to agree that they did look a lot sleeker than their previous models… But she wouldn't say that they were a little less scary.

"Um… Ruby?" Penny tried once more as the holographic Ironwood began to introduce the product of the military's efforts with the Schnee Dust Company's cooperation, the Atlesian Paladin.

Despite the fact that it was just a holographic turnaround of the model, Ruby couldn't help but get excited as she wondered if this was what Emerald was talking about and if she could convince Roman to let her pilot one of them.

She was quickly shaken out of her daydream upon noticing the guards standing by looking and pointing toward her with suspicion. Or rather… toward Penny.

"Penny? Are you friends with them?" Ruby asked, reflexively making her way backwards as her hands crept behind her back toward her swords.

"I wouldn't say friends exactly, but yes. I am acquainted with them." Penny nodded, backing up as well. "They work for my caretaker who doesn't like having me venture around by myself."

"Oh I see." Ruby nodded.

The moment the guards who had their eyes on Ruby and Penny took a few steps toward them… they dashed off and into the alley behind them.

Making a quick turn, Ruby began hearing heavy footsteps chasing after them and quickly scanned the area. She saw a fire escape ladder up ahead and smiled.

"Here, this way!" Ruby called, as she pulled out her swords. She sped ahead of Penny to run alongside the wall opposite of the ladder before making a jump, latching onto it with her hooks. She climbed up the few steps with her upper body before getting a stable hold with her foot, and pulled the latch to let the rest of the ladder fall down.

Getting the picture, Penny climbed up as quickly as she could while Ruby swung to the side, hanging with her hook sword secured to the corner, and allowed the other to climb up ahead.

Before the other two guards could begin climbing after them, Ruby swung into a slot, hooking her legs and foot onto the steps and lowered her upper half (taking care to not bang her head) and shuffled her body around to press her chest against the ladder. Making eye contact with the other guards, she waggled her brows before she swung her upper body to the side, bringing her swords in the same direction as far as she could, before letting go and cutting the ladder below her.

The two panicked for a moment as they tried to steady the broken ladder and Ruby took the time to pull herself back up and climb after Penny who was snickering just a little at the guards.

"They're okay right?" She asked as Ruby reached the platform.

"Yeah, they didn't even climb yet." Ruby laughed as the two continued running up the fire escape.

When they reached the top, they took a peek down to see where the guards were at and found them gesturing each other before splitting up.

"They're trying to find out where we're going to go down so they can catch us there." Ruby stated, leaning back and scratching her head as she looked around.

Penny giggled, clapping her hands together in delight. "Oh this is sen~sational! I haven't had this much excitement in my life before."

"I bet." Ruby noted, pointing over to another roof behind them that can easily be jumped to. "With how your dad and caretaker seem to keep a close eye on you and all." She said before running and making her way to the lower roof, rolling to help lessen the impact.

Penny nodded as she followed, "Oh yes. Although, I'm certain once I tell my father, he will be most joyous of my escapade. He thinks that I should be, quote, getting into all sorts of crazy things like normal teenagers, unquote. It's why he allowed me to go around."

Ruby snorted, "I don't think this is included on the list of crazy things." She surreptitiously stated as they continued slowly making their way from roof to roof

"Yes. I don't believe this isn't quite what he had in mind. Regardless, I can tell you for certain that this is crazy." Penny said with a smile.

Ruby thought about it, and she supposed it was true. To Ruby, this was rather normal for her seeing as she had to run or escape from guards or police on a regular basis growing up. But to the average person, it would be considered… well… wild.

"Well, let's get going crazy." Ruby jokingly said with a small roll of her eyes, as they found themselves on a much lower roof of a one story building. There was a nice path that they could hop and make there way down with a closed dumpster at the far wall.

Penny happily gasped in excitement, "That's a nickname! I didn't think I would ever be granted one."

"Wow. You really need to get out more if you like that one." Ruby laughed as they got back to ground while holstering her swords once again.

"I know!" Penny proclaimed just as Ruby heard more hurried movement from the alley way.

"C'mon! In there." Ruby shouted in a whisper as nodded over to some entertainment store filled with a bunch of gadgets and gizmos for educational purposes.

The two quickly rushed over and ducked between some shelves.

Ruby tried to peek out to see if the guards saw them, but thankfully they just ran past the store, allowing her to breath a sigh of relief. When she turned back toward Penny, she saw… a rather peculiar sight.

Penny didn't seem to notice as she was busy fiddling around with some fling-ons.

Ruby was very familiar with those, as she used to play the game with Roman frequently at base after hanging up a targeting stand. They obtained those items mainly due to the fact that Roman could play darts, and Ruby had no chance to compete with him.

With fling-ons, due to their x-like shape, it had less to do with precision and more to have fun. Especially since they were unreliable for sticking to the target immediately upon contact due to the fact that each end was equipped with magnets inside.

It looked like Penny didn't know or were aware of these facts as she was amusing herself with how they were sticking to her hands and wrists, attempting to shake them off and causing Ruby to stare at her rather… curiously.

"Ruby, might I ask what these are and the purposes of them?" Penny inquired, "The product box describes them to be a 'fantastic fidget toy' and to my understanding, fidget toys are meant to help stimulate one's mind to help increase productivity. These seem to help distract you instead of its' intended purposes." she stated, as she continued waving her hand away from her, causing the train of fling-ons to swing around her wrist.

Ruby merely stared at her, before picking a few fling-ons herself… and well, flinging them onto Penny gently.

Penny flinched upon each impact, "Ruby! Wh-What are you doi-" She stopped short when the last one landed right on her nose… and slid down over her mouth.

"Penny?" Ruby asked finally, "Why are magnets sticking onto you?"

Penny froze, "U-uh…" She stammered.

Suddenly, Ruby felt a quick flash of heat emit from Penny just as all the magnets fell to the ground, each landing with soft thuds and a faint smell of burnt plastic filled her nostrils.

"Wh-What magnets?" Penny asked before hiccuping.

Ruby frowned, pointing to the mess on the floor "Those magnets. They were just on you."

"No they weren't!" Penny denied before another hiccup overcame her.

Ruby gave an unimpressed stare as Penny attempted to avert her gaze.

It only took a minute before Penny cracked though.

"I'll tell you, but please don't tell anyone." She whispered pleadingly.

Ruby arched a brow. "Okay." She agreed.

It was highly unlikely that this secret would have a large impact or become a major trouble.

Penny glanced nervously around before she grabbed Ruby's arm and dragged her outside, and around the building to a more discrete location.

Once she felt it was safe enough, she let go of Ruby's arm and turned around with a serious, but desperate expression. "Y-You said I was your mate right? Like your friend? You called me a friend! So... We're friends right?"

Ruby awkwardly shuffled in place, not entirely too sure how to respond, but was certain that her answer really mattered to Penny. "U-Uh. Yeah. Definitely."

It seemed like her answers always mattered a lot more than usual as of recent.

Penny stared down to the ground with a solemn expression, "I'm not a real girl Ruby…"

…

Oh.

Okay. Well. This was a bit…

"Wait. Hold up." Ruby said, holding a hand up in a halting motion as she brought her other one to her face, and rubbed it in hopes of wiping away the sudden weariness that weighed down on her.

She didn't want to jump to conclusions just yet. So, she sighed and dropped her hands. "Alright… rewind a bit. From the top…"

"Well… I was made." Penny began, "My father built me, making me the world's first synthetic person capable of generating an aura."

Ruby nodded in understanding as she felt herself getting more focused instead of tired. "Okay."

"Um… So I'm not real." Penny finished.

Ruby frowned, "Of course you are!" She stated in a matter of factly. "Just because you've got a metal body, doesn't mean you're not real."

"You're… taking this extraordinarily well compared to a few moments ago." Penny dubiously said.

"I know someone with prosthetic legs." Ruby claimed, "I mean, sure! They're all wired and screwed, but doesn't mean they're not his legs. You have an aura! That means you've got a heart, a soul. I can tell. So trust me when I say that just because you're a little different, doesn't mean you're not real Penny." she finished as her heart ached in remembrance for Mercury.

She could still remember how hard it was for him to even look at his prosthetics after they were installed. He could barely even perform maintenance on them for the first few months, allowing them to stiffen and creak with every step. Due to his negligence of maintenance though, Ruby ended up learning to do it for him. It wasn't until he became comfortable enough to look at his legs that the two began doing it together.

Penny couldn't seem to believe how well Ruby's reaction was toward her, as she didn't even attempt to contain her squeal of excitement before throwing her arms around Ruby and crushing her into her body. "Oh Ruby! You're the best first friend anyone could have!"

"I'll… be…. Your first… dead friend…. If you…. Don't let me…. Breath!" Ruby gasped out in between breaths.

"Oh!" Penny seemed to realize that other people needed oxygen, and suddenly let go of her hold.

Ruby keeled over, resting her hands on her knees as she took deep, wonderful breaths of air.

"My apologies." Penny sheepishly smiled

"Is okay." Ruby reassured, bringing a thumb up. She was used to being crushed since Cinder seemed to take enjoyment out of sitting on her.

Ruby took a few more breaths before straightening up again with a relieved expression. "Wait. Were those guards from your… caretaker? Is he protective over you because of..." She trailed off, realizing just how big of a secret Penny asked her to keep.

"Yes." Penny nodded, "They're scared that I might run into trouble that I'm not ready for yet."

Ruby rose a brow at the idea, but once again, could relate to the idea. Cinder of course seemed to have that same concern.

It seemed like she always made sure Ruby promised not to get into any sort of-

Trouble…

"Oh no!" Ruby cried, throwing her hands to her head. "I'm late!"

"What? Late for what?" Penny asked

"I'm supposed to meet with some of my uh-" Ruby quickly stammered, trying to think. "My family!" She finished as she began taking a few steps back.

"Look, it was really nice hanging out with you Penny! But I really need to get going." Ruby spoke in a hurry.

"It's okay Ruby! I understand, I hope to bump into you soon!" Penny quoted with a salute.

"Y-yeah! You too!" Ruby agreed with an exaggerated nod before hurrying off.

She gave a mental sigh of relief the moment she was out of Penny's sight, that was a bit too much of a wild adventure for her in such a short amount of time.

She'll have to make sure that her time spent with Neo and Roman was just filled with fun.

* * *

Blake furrowed her brows as she traced over the three scratch marks on the side of a building. Signs from the White Fang, used to help indicate where one could find a meeting, but it wasn't the only markings.

There was an extra one, a new one. A fourth one? Although it was not as long as the three slashes, it was marked horizontally near the bottom of the far right. Almost as if it was falling to the side. Not only that, but it was… ragged. It wasn't a clean swipe.

Blake's frowned deepened, wondering exactly how long it had been since the new mark was added. She couldn't ponder on it for too long though, as she had no choice but to make her way into the building.

Pulling her ribbon loose, she quietly thanked the person obscured around the corner, hidden in the shadows of the warehouses for handing her a mask.

She stared down at the item in her hands for a moment.

It felt heavy. Heavier than before. Colder.

A shiver ran up her back.

She didn't want to put the mask on. Reluctant on donning the face of a monster once again. Reluctant on giving the world a reason to think of faunus as monsters again.

She silently wished that she had one of her friends by her side to help provide her with the courage needed. Instead, she had to quietly comfort herself by remembering the reassurances given to her.

She had to remember how Ruby was so willing to stand up for her, reassuring Blake that she was forgiven, along with her actions. She had to remember that Yang so easily accepted her completely for who she was, not even questioning her history. She had to remember that Weiss was trying her best to learn, and explained in no circumstances that she understood that Blake did not share the same beliefs as the White Fang.

Renewed with a sense of hope for her race, and for herself, Blake placed the mask over her face.

She'll be fine. She had friends who believed in her.

She took a deep breath.

With that reaffirmation, she managed to bring herself to keep moving forward into the dimly lit warehouse, and entered the meeting, bracing herself to the brush of cold air filled with silent hatred.

Just like the door guard said, she kept to the right with the rest of the recruits, and was surprised to find that there were humans mixed in with the crowds. Each human wore a similar uniform to the White Fang, though with black waist coats and darker masks instead of the White Fang's trade mark whites. Their uniforms seemed to only come in two different sizes as well… Large, to accommodate those with rough muscles covered in scars. Or small, a size that was still too big for those with tiny frames of skin and bones.

Not a single faunus seemed to mind though as they intermingled with the humans in hushed whispers, filling the air with a sense of excitement… and bitterness.

The small hairs on the back of Blake's neck rose as she tensed.

This was new. This was not something that happened before.

Something was wrong.

"Alright, settle down you punks." A voice echoed throughout the warehouse. "I know we're starting a bit late, but well… That's not my fault now is it?"

Everyone immediately began to settle, giving the person their undivided attention on the makeshift stage and allowing only the soft, clacking sounds of a tap on the floor to wash over.

Blake had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from gasping as she saw Roman Torchwick walk up and to the center of the makeshift stage, placing his cane directly in front of him and resting his hands on its' head with a cigar in between the fingers of one hand, and a large black curtain behind him.

"Good evening folks, I'm glad you all can join us today." Roman greeted pleasantly. "Now, let me begin with just saying this. The people at the top, the people running this government, the people who think they are above you all, who disrespect you, who spit and turn from your face? They are the _worst_."

Blake froze, her heart beating loudly in her ear drums as she began to hear murmurs of agreement.

"The kingdoms think we live in a time of peace." He continued in a tone so calm, it made Blake's blood run cold. "But the truth of the matter is, there is no peace. We- those born and raised in poverty, who lived out on the streets, outside the protection of the kingdom walls and those who were simply born faunus, We know better. We know- no peace."

"These people don't know how to run a kingdom!" Roman cried, his voice raising to be heard clearly. "They put you all in overrun orphanages that cast you out on the streets! They see you, a mere child, a teen, a young adult, sitting at the side of the street, or in an alleyway, or living outside the safety of the kingdom's, the city's walls and they do nothing. They stop you, prevent you from getting a job to feed yourself, your family. They don't do anything to help you, to show others that you need help. They don't do anything when they see you faced in a situation of discrimination! They stay silent! They want you _all_ to stay silent, because they want to erase your voice and pretend, that there is no problem! They refuse to acknowledge it! To acknowledge you! And if they don't address your situation, your discrimination, your needs, then they might as well be encouraging it!"

This wasn't… This was not anything like Blake thought it would. Her hands shook, trembling as they felt numb. Her knees wobbling, urging her to run as more and more people began shouting in agreement.

"Silence is a form of oppression! And when you stay silent, you are complying. You are telling your oppressor that NOTHING is wrong!" Roman shouted, as his voice broke. "But no more." He said in a whisper that still seemed to ring through the room.

"And that's what brings you all here today right?" He asked, eliciting more shouts and nods. "You all wondered, 'Why stand around so idle?' And thought, because you wished to do something about the situation you're in. Because you wished to obtain something that everyone else in the world seems to have that you don't. Freedom."

At the word, nearly everyone began shouting in agreement.

"And freedom-" He shouted, still somehow being heard over all the cries, "-Is worth dying for! But we don't want that just yet, oh no. We still need to give you all a fighting chance. Which is why your new employers and I got this!" He continued as the curtain behind him unveiled what Blake recognized to be an Atlesian Paladin.

"I know some of you may wonder if this cause is really something worth joining, or where you will end up going should you do so. Now, I don't know what course some of you may choose, but if it were me - I would take a chance at freedom, or die trying." He took a drag from his cigar. "And when provided an arsenal like this, then I'd say… your chances have gotten higher."

The entire warehouse was silent as Roman finished, causing Blake to worry that everyone around her would hear her loud, drumming heart beats that were crying in fear.

But… seemingly, all at once, everyone erupted into loud cheering… and Blake's heart dropped. Was… was the amount of resentment and anger of their treatment so strong, that they all had resorted to violent vengeance so easily?

"Will the new recruits please step forward!" A few other members yelled, trying to be heard over the noise.

Oh no.

Blake panicked as she stayed in place, unsure of what to do as she looked around, seeing other people's happy faces. Goosebumps trailed up her arms and back in fright of the buzzing air of emotions.

She had to get out of there. She had to tell Weiss and Yang that they need to leave. She had to tell someone about what happened, about what she saw.

As the recruits pushed, trying to move her forward, she tried to take a step back. And another.

She looked around, trying to find any sign of possible escape.

Unfortunately, it seemed that her movements looked a bit too obvious as Roman caught her eyes with a fierce frown. He began making his way in her direction, raising his hand with his cigar to point at her with, causing heads to turn.

Finding a power box to the side, Blake quickly raised her gun - and fired.

The lights went dark and everyone began to shout in panic and confusion.

She ducked through people's arms, dodging the other faunus attempting to grab her and causing them to collide in another human as she rushed to a window, knowing fully well that she couldn't go through the doors that were blocked by members of the White Fang, and crashed through and into the night.

She ran as fast as she could to get to where she knew Yang and Weiss were hiding, a little further out and away from the warehouses and around a corner.

"Blake?" Weiss called in alarm, noticing the panicked expression. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"I-" Blake tried, getting closer and closer to them.

The sound of heavy machinery steps and a crash echoed into the night, eliciting all three of their attentions, only to see the large Atlesian Knight charging in their direction.

"That!" Blake finished, prompting all three of them to turn their head and run. "Roman's controlling it!"

"What do we do?" Yang yelled in consternation.

"We need to get far away first!" Weiss reasoned with a raised voice. "If we stop here, then the rest of the members from the warehouse will come out and quite frankly, we would not last."

"The freeway?" Yang suggested

"We can't!" Weiss firmly rejected, "There are civilians still driving at this time!"

"The underpass!" Blake proposed

The other two nodded in agreement, before sharply turning into an empty street of parked cars that Yang was familiar with as she saw the signs to Junior's bar, with Roman still on their tails.

Weiss took out her scroll, sliding it open as she pushed a few buttons.

"What are you doing?" Yang asked in disbelief. "You can't call the police! They'll ask why Blake was-"

"I'm not calling the police!" Weiss snapped, flashing her scroll toward Yang to show Ruby's picture… That Weiss actually didn't remember setting up to look so… silly. Though now was not the time to be wondering as such. "I'm calling Ruby! I know that Knight is still a prototype, but we will not win with just the three of us. We need back-up!"

"... Yes?" Ruby cautiously answered through Weiss's scroll.

"Ruby!" Weiss shouted in relief.

"Whatever it is you think I did, I didn't do it!" Ruby quickly exclaimed.

"Wha- No!" Weiss shook her head to help keep her focus. "We need your help!"

"Help?" Ruby asked in disbelief

"Yes! Help!" Weiss asserted. "Where are you?"

"Uh… In town." Ruby stated with uncertainty.

"Are you close to the freeway underpass?" Blake questioned

"Um-"

A car suddenly flew overhead, crashing in front of them - giving the three no other choice but to run around or jump onto and over the vehicle.

"What was that?" Ruby asked in alarm.

"A car!" Yang answered from the side

"Look! There's no time to explain." Weiss quickly began, "But we're being chased by an Atlesian Paladin and I would appreciate it if you came and helped!"

"But I-"

"Please!" Weiss shouted, dodging another car as she glanced back to see exactly how far apart the three were from the Knight

"Okay… Just… give me some time." Ruby replied hesitantly.

Another car crashed in front of them as the underpass came into view.

"Hurry!" Weiss shouted before disconnecting the call.

"So? What now?" Yang asked

"You two need to split!" Weiss ordered, "We'll reconvene momentarily!"

"Got it." Blake nodded, as the two proceeded to run off toward the sides.

Weiss nodded in approval before spinning the revolver to her weapon, stopping it on her ice dust cartridge as her semblance activated right ahead of her. As she quickly approached, she began to pirouette toward it, stabbing her sword onto the symbol upon contact and activating a large area of ice surrounding her.

Roman seemed to notice too late as he skidded across the sleet ice, and tumbled over, crashing into one of the pillars.

Weiss, Yang, and Blake quickly took the moment to regroup just before he could right himself again.

"What's the plan boss?" Yang asked

"First, we need to get rid of the sensors." Weiss proclaimed hurriedly as Roman began loading the armored guns. "Otherwise, he'll see us coming no matter-" She couldn't finish as she summoned another glyph to throw her backwards to dodge the firing projectiles.

Blake and Yang flipped or threw themselves backwards as well.

"There is one at the side of each shoulder. If you two can get those, we'll have more room to move around!" Weiss tried to say as quickly as possible

"Got it!"

"Understood!"

The two quickly separated from Weiss once more, rushing in from the sides

Weiss stood her ground in front of the Paladin though, before gritting her teeth and charging straight in.

Roman decided to try and take care of Weiss first, as the guns shifted away and back into arms. The Paladin twisted away, bringing an arm back in a move to hook punch Weiss when she came in range. The moment she did, Roman rushed to swing the robotic arm at her, only to completely miss as she summoned a glyph to help launch her up and above him.

At the peak of her height, she turned, her feet slanted above her shoulders, a platform and time dilation glyph holding her in midair as her head pointed toward the Knight. She quickly summoned a few more glyphs to line in front of her with a wide berth of space in between each one, all directed toward the robot.

Roman didn't even get a chance to switch back to the guns as she launched herself immediately, slashing on each glyph to throw multiple ice projectiles at the Atlesian Knight. The oncoming icicles raining down on him forced Roman to lift an arm up in an attempt to shield the robot's face, which apparently just what Weiss wanted.

Quickly, she took advantage of the arm blocking the top sensors, and thrust her rapier into the one located on the Knight's mid-section.

Roman barely had time to react before Yang and Blake nearly flew in from the sides and punched or slashed away the sensors located in the Knight's shoulders.

Blake immediately pushed off of the robot after accomplishing what was needed, doing a few back handsprings in an attempt to put as much space between them as possible.

Yang continued latching on to the arm though, bringing her own fist back as she continued punching into the shoulder to try and blow it out of its' socket.

The other hand rose, reaching up toward her - ready to swat at her like a fly. She froze upon noticing the shadow over her, and braced herself for impact until another glyph appeared under Yang's feet, and propelled her off.

Completely off guard, Yang tumbled and rolled a bit onto the ground before righting herself and jumping back to her feet.

"Yang! Are you okay?" Weiss worriedly asked

"Yeah, thanks for getting me out of there." Yang nodded.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to go back in." Weiss declared, "I need you to distract him and deal as much damage as you can while Blake and I try to severe one of the Paladin's arms."

"I can do that." Yang agreed before launching herself back in.

"Blake," Weiss called, twirling her fingers in the air, spinning them in a circle as an indication of her plan.

Blake understood, nodding in agreement as Weiss began summoning as many glyphs as she could to surround the Atlesian Paladin while Yang kept distracting him.

Weiss could feel herself grow tired from pushing herself to use her semblance so frequently one after another, but knew that against the Paladin and someone as cunning as Roman, there wasn't much else the three could work with.

Well… that wasn't true. She knew, logically, that there were many ways to utilize each one of their fighting capabilities, possibly to even gain an upperhand against the Atlesian Paladin! As much as she hated to admit it though, she wasn't certain as to how.

As both Weiss and Blake launched themselves in and Yang threw herself out of the speedy cross slashes, Weiss silently thought about how Ruby wouldn't have a doubt as to how to take advantage of everyone's capabilities.

Ruby would be able to put her plans and battle formations in motion. She would be able to take charge and give clear directions…

Weiss could only lead them to a stalemate at best… or a loss.

* * *

Ruby gave a contemplative frown at her scroll as she sat on the roof of a building, relying on her ears to register the sounds of metal clanging against one another and ammunition being expelled due to the fact that the freeways hiding the fight from her sight.

When Weiss had call her, Ruby was already on her way and close to the warehouse where Roman was holding the meeting, but reluctantly turned around in the other direction to make her way toward the underpass that her team had mentioned.

Now that she was in close proximity though, she found herself in a… bit of a tight spot.

She had no idea who was in the mech or the reason as to why they chased after her teammates.

On one hand, she couldn't exactly let her teammates get severely injured. Especially after being called for help, no matter how surprising it was for Weiss to do so. If they were put out of commission, Ruby's station at Beacon would be shaky seeing as it was required to be on a team and partnered.

On the other hand, if there was some random member in the mech who knew her, her identity might be compromised. Or she might be interfering with some… plan that she had no idea about. Or her act might be considered a betrayal and confusion would rise and spread within the organization.

She was pretty sure that Cinder and everyone else would prefer not to waste any time trying to help settle that down… She knew she didn't want to.

She was considering calling Roman to get an idea of the situation, until she heard a jet hover above her.

Looking up in question as the hatch slid open, she found Neo staring down at her in surprise and confusion.

" _What are you doing?"_ Neo signed with one hand to the best of her ability while clinging onto the door with the other to help keep balance.

Ruby placed her scroll in her pocket, although she was certain that the cars on the freeway and sounds of fighting would be much too loud for her team members to hear her shout from the distance, she still wasn't willing to take the risk. _"My teammates are fighting the robot. They asked for help."_ She signed back as Neo flicked her index finger up and down while nodding. _"Who is in there?"_

Neo crossed her fingers, touching it to the crown of her head before emphasizing it out. _"Roman"_

"Ah." Ruby voiced with a nod, relieved to find out the identity of the mecha pilot. If it was Roman, then she would be able to jump in the fray without any worries… besides the fact of losing the Atlesian Knight. _"I'm going to help fight. Grab him when you can. Tell me everything later please."_

Neo nodded in agreement, her hand flickering out an _"Ok"_

With that all set, Ruby dropped down from the side of the building, using her hook swords along the sewage pipe to help climb down.

Upon landing and turning around, she found her team starting to tire out. Once she turned around, she saw Roman pull a leg back, and kicked Blake - sending her flying backwards and colliding into a pillar before collapsing onto the ground as Weiss and Yang loudly cried for her, reaching to Ruby's ears.

Ruby knew Roman, she knew how he fought, and knew that Roman would immediately go after for whoever seemed to be the weakest in a group at the moment.

She took one look at Blake, who was struggling to lift her body up with her hands.

And Ruby ran.

Roman began closing in on Blake, just as Yang jumped onto the Knight's back and began frantically punching into it as best she can in hopes of distracting him.

He remained undeterred, simply rotating the upper portion of the body as quickly and roughly as possible to make her fall off before he continued toward Blake, the armored shoulders on the Knight opening up to show rockets loaded up.

Ruby gritted her teeth, rolling her eyes as she willed herself to run faster. Roman never did understand when he was being excessive.

When he began firing the rockets, she clicked her tongue against her teeth as her eyes widened, locked onto Blake's form. She wouldn't make it in time.

Just when she thought that, she saw a trail of Weiss's glyphs lighting up toward Blake, allowing the Schnee heiress to run as fast as could, stopping in front of Blake with shaky legs and heavy breaths before activating a time-dilation glyph under her.

Even from where she was, Ruby could tell that Weiss was getting tired, pushing her semblance to its' limits and her aura, expent.

And still, Weiss thought that she still needed _more_ as a large glyph appeared at her back, but… upon closer observation, it looked different from Weiss's usual Glyphs, as that one had swords appearing on the symbol.

Weiss didn't even seem to notice the symbol at her back though, as it continuously dimmed while she remained focused on throwing sharp blades of wind at the incoming missiles to make them explode before they came close.

Roman took advantage of the clouds of the expelled rockets, using the smoke to surprise Weiss as he charged toward her and Blake.

Quickly glancing behind her she found Blake able to stand, albeit weakly. She was in no condition to make a run and her aura was nearly depleted made evident by the scratches and bruises on her body.

Weiss turned to face the Atlesian Knight, holding her sword horizontally above her head as she braced herself for the impact of the charging robot. She still didn't seem to notice the symbol behind her as it rapidly flashed and spun.

A ghost of a sword began to appear in front of the two of them, and Weiss's eyes widened in hope.

To no avail as it and the glyph disappeared, fading from existence right when the mecha came into range, and Roman pulled an arm back.

"Weiss! Blake!" Yang's voice cried as she hurriedly tried running toward the two and the Atlesian Paladin.

Ruby was just close enough though, that she pulled her swords out and casted a strong gust of wind behind her to help push her forward, activating her semblance at the same time. She continued running, feeling the wind lift beneath her feet before she lept, spinning in midair as her swords pointed at her feet to create a vortex that pulled the dust and rubble around her. And went straight past and in between Blake and Weiss, sucking them into the wind behind her. Forcing them away from danger before the mecha made impact.

Sensing that they were a suitable distance away, Ruby forced her body to flip, thrusting her feet in the opposite direction before doing another spin with her swords, creating a second gust of wind to force the her to stop mid air. And for Weiss and Blake to collide into her.

The three landed on the ground, tumbling against one another before stopping with Ruby at the bottom of the pile and groaning. She probably should have expected this outcome. "Everyone okay?"

Weiss, shifted on top of her, lifting her head up as she heaved a sigh mixed of relief and pain. "Yes."

Blake grunted quietly from the top of the pile, "I think so."

"... Can you guys get off me?" Ruby asked in a strained voice.

The two tiredly propped themselves up and off Ruby, wearily standing back up.

Ruby climbed back to her feet, quickly assessing the situation.

Yang seemed to be relieved that they were all safe, casting a nod of approval toward Ruby before attempting to engage in another bout with Roman.

Ruby could tell that Yang was getting tired though, but noticed that her eyes were flashing red and her aura was starting to allow her signature heat to manifest. Indicating that she had been hit a few times.

Weiss was starting to wear down, her breaths were heavy while Blake seemed to be the most spent.

"How much longer do you two think you can last?" Ruby asked.

"I'm not completely finished just yet and I believe I can procure a few more glyphs." Weiss informed.

"I'll keep going if you need me to." Blake weakly stated, her determination shining through her eyes.

Ruby nodded in recognition toward Blake before turning her attention to Weiss. "Give me a number to work with."

"4… no. 5. I can do 5 more." Weiss confidently said.

Ruby chewed on the inside of her cheek, her mind rushing at work as she tried to plan the best course of action that would guarantee the win and safety of her team… and Roman's escape.

Her grip around her swords tightened as she settled on a plan. "Alright, you two. Rooks to King's feet!"

Weiss and Blake stiffened, acknowledging the plan of attack as they remembered the names and formations Ruby briefly went over with them during their sparring class. They had yet to put these tactics that Weiss thought were silly to use, but Ruby insisted that they remember each movement for when they get called upon for a demonstration.

Though, it seemed like they would have to test them now.

"Weiss, try to keep a spare Time glyph for Blake. Blake-"

Blake turned toward her leader with confused eyes, as Ruby gave a shaky smile.

"I'm trusting you."

Suddenly, Blake felt her tiredness wash away as she became more alert than ever, understanding that she had to be prepared for anything Ruby might do. Before she could reassure Ruby though-

"Go!" Ruby yelled, forcing the two to do exactly what they were told. "Yang! Out!"

Hearing her leader's orders, Yang jumped off of the Atlesian Paladin right as Blake and Weiss rushed in, taking the robot straight on.

The two continued slicing and thrusting their weapons at the Atlesian Paladin's legs, forcing Roman to take steps back to a avoid taking too much damage.

"Yang! Knight takes King's arm!" Ruby ordered as she proceed to run at the side.

Yang immediately complied, mirroring Ruby as they made a sharp turn toward the Atlesian Knight, and lept into the air with their weapons drawn back.

The two made impact, and just like Ruby thought, Yang had received enough damage to blow the arm on her side off.

Ruby on the other hand, spun as much as possible, attempting to deal as many hits to her side as she could before being flung up into the air.

"Blake! Bishops take King's arm!" Ruby yelled.

Weiss and Yang immediately pulled themselves out as Blake created a clone and kicked off of it into the air. Ruby threw her swords back, creating another gust to thrust her back toward the ground and spun once again.

The two crossed paths at the arm of the Atlesian Knight, creating an X and effectively slicing the arm off.

Ruby knew this was their chance as Roman had already used up all of the rockets, there were no more weapons for him to use.

She had to make sure she did this right.

Raising her hand to the sash across her chest, she pulled out two purple dust vials close to her hip, palming them in each hand before launching herself back to the Atlesian Knight. Halfway to it, she threw the vials at the Knight, allowing her arms to cross with her swords nearly behind her.

The vials shattered against the Knight, purple dust cascaded down from the Robot, and Ruby sliced at the Atlesian Knight once more with blade of wind accompanying the attack.

The area surrounding the Knight and Ruby suddenly sounded, whirling in like a suction before allowing a brief second of silence. Then, a mix between an explosion and warp echoed through the air between the two, and expelled the both of them away, throwing them into the air in opposite directions.

Weiss understood immediately what Ruby had done, and recognized the need for the Time Glyph as she casted it toward Blake's general direction.

Blake saw it, rolling over into its' landing area and allowed it to hasten her before she kicked off another clone, and another… and another to rush after Ruby.

When she was close enough, she tackled her leader to the ground as the Atlesian crashed at the same time, shattering to pieces.

The pilot of the mecha, Blake, and Ruby continued tumbling along the ground as more and more space was made between all of them.

"I just got this cleaned!" Roman growled as he righted himself onto his feet and frantically dusted himself off.

Yang and Weiss stiffened, bearing their weapons once again as they tried to prepare for another bout though the latter casted her eyes behind them to check on the status of their leader and teammate in concern.

Yang though, fired another cartridge at Roman, but was blocked by Neo's umbrella after jumping down in front of him.

"Well this was a complete disaster." Roman grumbled while Ruby and Blake sat up, "But no matter. Nothing has changed. Neo? If you would." He offered as Neo smirked.

She discreetly made eye contact with Ruby and winked while curtsying.

The act seemed to enrage Yang, prompting her to run forward and throw a punch at them as she remembered the last frustrating fight she had with the other.

Her violence only seemed to shatter the image in front of her, again. And when she furiously looked around for them, she found them getting away in a jet, again.

Yang wanted to scream in vexation, but her eyes suddenly flashed back to normal as she remembered her teammates. "Ruby! Blake!"

She and Weiss rushed over to the two, dropping to their knees or sliding over to them as Ruby groaned in minor pain.

"Are you okay?" Yang asked worriedly, gently placing her hand on Ruby's back to provide support while Weiss did the same for Blake.

"Yeah. I think." Ruby grunted, "It was no different from the first crash. No biggie." Or the other ones. Ruby wondered if she's getting a bit too used to being thrown.

Yang sighed in relief as she helped her leader back to her feet.

"What about you Blake?" Ruby asked, turning toward her.

"I could go without doing that again." Blake softly said, the corner of her mouth twitching up as she leaned against Weiss, her arm over the other's shoulder.

Ruby smiled, "You might have to if I decide to do that again." she joked as she shuffled away from Yang, throwing a grateful nod.

"Please, don't." Blake weakly protested.

"Regardless, it was an outstanding display and use of gravity dust." Weiss complimented, as she shuffled Blake up to get a better hold. She paused before her lips curled up into a smirk, "I may even wish to use that tactic myself."

"Well I'm not catching you." Ruby stated, averting her gaze while touching her nose. "I've crashed enough times this semester to last a lifetime."

Yang laughed, touching her own nose. "I'd rather make the other person crash."

Weiss exaggerated a wistful sigh, "I suppose I have no choice but to rely on you Blake."

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to pass." Blake said, carefully extracted herself from Weiss's hold and moving over to Ruby instead to emphasize her statement..

Weiss huffed, crossing her arms with a frown on her face. "And here I thought we were all teammates." she sulked with a smile.

Everyone laughed, more than happy to have some form of humor after tiring themselves out from a harsh battle.

As it slowly trailed though, Weiss grew a bit serious as she turned to Ruby with a grateful smile. "Thank you for coming when you did."

"Oh." Ruby shuffled nervously, shifting Blake's weight on her as she sensed the palpable amount of relief and gratitude sent her way. "No problem… You did call so…" she shrugged

Weiss shook her head, "I'm not finished yet." She paused, "I… admit that at the beginning of the year, I did not believe you to be capable of being our leader. It wasn't until after I saw how well you take notes and how much you pay attention in classes, that I thought that you had… potential. But, I confess, that during our times in sparring class as I watched you draw out some team formations and titled them with chess pieces, I thought you weren't taking your job seriously again and I apologize. I didn't realize, until at the moment while we were fighting, how practical it was to simplify our movements."

She lifted her head, looking into Ruby's eyes with a glint of respect and admiration. "You manage to help us, tell us what to do in no time while I-..." She shook her head, remembering how she had to frantically yell out the plans to Yang and Blake, clumsily tripping over her words while attempting to focus on her own and the robot's movements. "You're just… Your leadership skills are impressive and allowed us to secure a victory as well as leaving relatively safe. So... thank you Ruby."

Ruby shuffled again, more nervously as a weight lighty settle in her chest and she forced a laugh. "Just doing my job." She choked, her breath hitching slightly. She furrowed her brows in confusion, not sure why she was feeling this way or why she was suddenly feeling nervous again.

She ignored it though, shuffling Blake up further and pulling her arm a little tighter so she would be more secure.

"You know what we should do before heading back to school?" Yang asked, "We should get ourselves dessert! We totally deserve some pick-me-ups after that."

"That would be a splendid idea." Weiss nodded in approval, "Were it not for the gravity of Blake's injuries." She finished.

Yang sheepishly ducked her head.

Blake's stomach growled, causing heat to rise to her cheeks as her eyebrows twitched. "I may have worked an appetite…" she bashfully confessed

Weiss sighed, "Then we might as well…"

"You know what they say," Yang started with a shrug.

"You can always build your Aura back up with sugar!" She said at the same time as Ruby, causing her to snap her head toward Yang wide eyed. Yang joyfully laughed at the act though, clapping Ruby on the back

"C'mon, I know a great place." Yang said, leading the way as Weiss followed.

Ruby shifted Blake again before trailing after, but was stopped once again as Blake pulled down to get her attention.

"While we're still apologizing," Blake said in a low tone for only Ruby's ears, "I just want to say, I'm sorry too."

Ruby arched a brow, but continued onward.

"For doubting you I mean." Blake continued, "I thought, for some reason- I thought you wouldn't come. That you would only appear at the last minute. But… you didn't. You came in time, and I'm grateful. But… I'm also sorry that I doubted you."

The heavy feeling weighed down in her chest again upon hearing those words, and Ruby gave a shaky smile, still unsure about what to do with the strange feeling. "Like I said to you before, it's okay. You're fine."

Blake sagged in relief, and Ruby continued carrying her as they followed after Yang and Weiss.

And the weight that had previously settled in her chest, refused to be lifted.

* * *

Cinder pinched the bridge of her nose, not sure what to make of this situation as Ruby and Neo both sat on the floor with a sheepish look on their faces.

The entire dorm was asleep, besides them along with Mercury and Emerald, both who were sitting off to the side on the opposite bed and chair looking down at Ruby and Neo as a scroll was set in front of the two.

"Ruby… I thought you promised to not get into any trouble." Cinder sighed, attempting to massage away the what leftover fear she had felt upon learning about what Ruby did, and finding out how late she had returned back to campus only to be directed to go to the infirmary.

"I didn't promise anything! I only said that I would try!" Ruby retorted

Cinder slightly narrowed her eyes down at her sister, causing Ruby to wilt a little. Cinder turned her attention toward Neo, who immediately tried to look innocent and at anywhere but Cinder. "And you, why didn't you stop her?"

Neo pointed to herself with a look of curiosity, as though not knowing what Cinder was talking about at all.

Cinder's eyes narrowed even further.

Neo looked away as she pointed to Ruby, pinning all of the blame onto her.

"Traitor." Ruby grumbled, "But that's not true! Roman was chasing after my team and they called me for help! I was only doing my job as team leader otherwise I wouldn't have a team left!" She defended herself, though winced a little upon feeling the weight in her chest again.

Cinder sighed in resignation, knowing that Ruby had a point.

"She used her gravity dust on the Atlesian Knight." Roman's voice stated from the scroll laid out in front of Ruby and Neo. "Is she alright? I saw her take quite the tumble."

At this, Cinder frowned as Ruby clicked her tongue, grumbling about how everyone was a traitor to her.

"I'm fine! Totally fine!" Ruby declared, raising both her hands up in a gesture to stop Cinder from advancing on her and to halt everyone's stare. "The school doc checked me out and everything! I'm all clear." She nervously informed them.

"Ruby." Cinder exasperated, causing her sister to petulantly pout.

"Fine. I just got a little bruising. But that's it! I swear!" Ruby vowed.

The attention on her lessened in her relief, though Neo had scooted over to hug Ruby tightly in apology.

"That's good." Cinder smiled softly, "I'm also glad to hear that your team… trusts you so completely. Now we don't have to worry about them so much."

Ruby nervously laughed, the weight in her chest growing heavier. "Yup. That's the plan."

"Did they tell anyone about what happened?" Cinder asked

"Ozpin came into the infirmary to question us while we waited around Blake." Ruby answered, thinking back to how the doctor told the team that Blake would have to stay overnight before he came in. "He seems a little concerned, but he told us that he would handle the rest for us. I… don't know what that means yet, but I'm sure we'll find out soon." she shrugged.

"Good." Cinder nodded with a small smile. "But enough about that, we need to get you ready for next weekend."

Neo turned to Ruby, an excited look on her face and Ruby found herself feeling apprehensive about what her sister had to say next.

 


	14. Tolerance

Sweat dripped off of Ruby's brow as she ducked, dodging a fierce palm strike thrown to her face as she crouched to the floor and swept a leg out to trip Pyrrha who merely jumped into the air to avoid it.

"Wow! That was awesome Pyrrha! You're doing great!" Jaune called from the sidelines.

Pyrrha gave a small smile in gratitude, reluctantly glancing over to her team leader to show that she heard him before refocusing back to the fight simulation she was participating in, keeping her hands up and steady in front of her.

The small break in her attention though, allowed Ruby to suddenly fly toward her with a spinning roundhouse kick and send her to the wall close to Jaune.

"I think we're now... 3 to 1." Ruby grinned as she landed back onto the floor, happy to procure the first victory of their bi-weekly spars.

Pyrrha lightly groaned, getting back to her feet. "As splendid as your display was - if you feel as I do now every time I throw you, then I'm really sorry." she apologized.

"You get used to it after a while." Ruby shrugged as she walked over to Pyrrha.

Pyrrha paused, inclining her head with skepticism. "I don't believe that it's something one _should_ get used to."

"Wait! I-I think you should have a do-over." Jaune insisted. "I distracted her, she wasn't paying attention!"

Ruby shrugged. "Her mistake, my gain. It's not my problem."

"But-" Jaune tried.

Pyrrha nodded, "She's right Jaune. It was my fault for allowing myself to divert my attention. Besides, a single loss isn't too damaging to the current score." she said with a teasing glint to Ruby.

Ruby attempted to resist making a face at the other, but couldn't help but to at least stick her tongue out as she plopped down to the floor and grabbed her water, causing Pyrrha to lightly laugh.

"Now, was there something you needed Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, lowering herself to the bench as she dug out some snacks for her and Ruby out of the bag.

He had been in the room for the past quarter of an hour, waiting for the two to finish sparring because he wanted to talk about something.

Now that the two were and taking a break to build their aura back up, he had the chance to do so.

"Well- The dance is this weekend right?" Jaune began, though quickly realized he shouldn't have started that way as Ruby suddenly narrowed her eyes down at him and tense.

"You better not be thinking about asking Weiss again because-" Ruby nearly growled, feeling personally offended by the idea as if _she_ were the one he was attempting to continuously ask.

"No! No not at all! I stopped thinking about it since last time!" Jaune frantically placated, casting a quick glance over to Pyrrha for help.

"Ruby, let's hear what Jaune has to say." Pyrrha said with an easing tone and smile, handing Ruby a bag of sliced apples as if it were a bribe.

She stared at the offering with slight skepticism, lured by the fruit to be eaten as she casted a quick glance up to Pyrrha who merely smiled a little wider, gesturing to the bag with a nod of assurance.

It seemed to have worked, as Ruby merely grumbled, settling back down and accepting the sliced apples.

She was never one to turn down food.

Pyrrha smiled a little wider, pleased to find that her bribe seemed to have worked rather easily and noted to herself to bring more food for their next spar.

Jaune breathed a sigh of relief before continuing on. "L-Like I was saying, the dance is coming up and I don't know what to do for it. S-So I was wondering if you two could maybe… help?"

Ruby frowned around an apple slice in confusion. "What do you mean you don't know what to do for it? Just show up and have fun." She retorted with a bit of irritation, still feeling guarded over the idea that he might have wished to ask Weiss again.

"What Ruby means to say-" Pyrrha began, pausing in eating her celery sticks as she lightly nudged Ruby with a knee to calm down, "-is that you don't need to have a date. Going with friends can still easily make a memorable night."

Jaune looked at Ruby quizzically, "Is that what you're doing?"

Ruby froze, and hesitantly nodded.

Though, she wouldn't exactly use the word "friends" to describe her teammates as she's certain that their relationships were a little more… complicated, but for the sake of the conversation… "At first, yeah… But I'm probably going to spend most of it with my…" She paused, remembering what Cinder and everyone else told her. "Um… friends… from Haven" she finished awkwardly.

Jaune hummed in thought, before turning to Pyrrha. "Well, what about you Pyrrha?"

"Me? Well- I was hoping to go with you, Nora, and Ren together" Pyrrha explained with uncertainty.

"Wha- B-But. You don't have a date?" Jaune asked baffled.

Pyrrha shuffled uncomfortably before shaking her head. "No."

"But, you- Why not? You should have a whole line of people waiting to ask you to the dance." Jaune exclaimed.

"Well.. I-" Pyrrha awkwardly fidgeted.

Ruby furrowed her brows in slight annoyance and felt herself once again getting a little offended. "That's _weird_. They wouldn't even know Pyrrha when they ask her to the dance. How is that any fun?" She exasperated.

"Well… It _could_ be fun." Jaune suggested

"Take a chance at a possibility of fun with someone you don't know but an equal chance of the worst time ever, or go with people who you know and have a guaranteed time of fun?" Ruby quirked an eyebrow up. "I don't know. I'd rather stick with the people I know."

"Oh. I guess that's true too." Jaune nodded in agreement. "But I still think someone like Pyrrha will be able to get a date with no problem at all." He laughed easily, standing up to leave.

"Thanks for the advice you guys! It really helped me." Jaune smiled as he left.

As he exited the area, Ruby couldn't help but grumble a little more around a slice of apple. Jaune seemed like a nice guy, but Ruby had a lot of questions about where he got a lot of his ideas from.

"Thank you." Pyrrha said with a strained smile.

Ruby arched a brow up at her spar partner

"For helping me. With Jaune I mean." Pyrrha clarified, shuffling awkwardly again.

"Oh it's fine." Ruby waved off, munching on another slice of her fruit. It wasn't that big of a deal. "It kind of sucks that he distracted you during the spar though."

Pyrrha let out an amused laugh, "You did not seem too guilty about taking advantage of it at the time."

"Nope." Ruby popped her word with a grin, "But still, I almost feel bad about. Almost."

Pyrrha smiled as she took out a sandwich, holding it out to offer for Ruby who happily reached for it before Pyrrha swung it away and took a bite. "I almost feel bad about that." Pyrrha teased with a mischievous glint, "Almost"

Ruby's face nearly fell, the temptation of whining, pouting, or throwing a tantrum like when she's with Cinder trying to overcome her, but she held firm.

To her, it just seemed weird to act that way around her school peers. There was no need for her to be well… childish like she was with Cinder. Being a spoiled, smart brat was fine, as that was Ruby's go to mood since she spent a lot of time with Emerald. Or quiet and easy going like when she spent time with Neo and Roman. Or mischievous and filled with amusement like with Mercury.

… but never openly childish where all her guards were down and she was free to act as if she were spoiled. As if she were on top of the world where nothing could touch her and she would be safe.

It was the type of attention and air that Pyrrha seemed more than happy to provide to anyone in her presence as Ruby noticed during the past few weeks.

Whenever they sparred, or talked during their break after, Pyrrha would give Ruby her undivided attention, always asking about how Ruby was, or if there was anything troubling her, or how her sleep was; they would talk about anything related to Ruby. Meanwhile, Pyrrha refused to talk about herself unless prompted to.

Not just with Ruby though, anytime she found herself with other people, Pyrrha would focus her attention on everyone else, making it rather easy for others to talk over her or for her to retreat quietly behind a smile as she simply watched.

Like during their; joint teams study session, lunches, and those occasional bouts where their teams sit next to each other in sparring class, Pyrrha seemed content to be in the background. Ruby found that, she couldn't help but give Pyrrha that attention when possible out of habit.

Growing up with people whose voices are rarely heard and had lacked the attention given to them when needed, made the face of providing it for them second nature to Ruby.

She did that for the members of the organization, she did that for her family, she did that for her sister and in return, she was made to feel like she mattered, that everything she did mattered.

In return, she made everyone else surrounding her matter, she gave them the attention they sought for.

Was it compassion? She couldn't tell, because there wasn't anyone else for her to relate to, to help her, to show her how to work with it.

Or maybe it was empathy, or maybe sympathy, but still… she couldn't tell because there wasn't anyone to help her understand what it was that she was feeling.

From an early age, growing up with Cinder, Roman, and Neo, Ruby could tell that they had a certain lack of feeling when it came to sharing another person's emotions. She could tell, that when they were in front of other people, their own emotions seemed suppressed, but at the same time - it was all that mattered to them. Everyone else was below them, as it should be.

And while her family relished the fact that she wasn't like them, they also feared that it would hurt her one day and they wouldn't know what to do. They feared that it was what would make her one day leave them and if that happened, they wouldn't know what to do.

They needed her.

And so long as they were willing to let her stay, they were all she needed.

She didn't need her school peers. She didn't need anyone else.

So she overcame her temptation of whining, and simply frowned instead, staring longfully for the snack that would have been hers.

Pyrrha chuckled joyfully as she tore the PB&J sandwich in half to the best of her ability, and handed over the unbitten side to Ruby.

Ruby eyed the torn sandwich skeptically, warily glancing over to Pyrrha with suspicion as she hesitantly reached out for the food and prepared herself for it being taken away again.

Pyrrha merely continued giving an encouraging smile as she continued holding it out until Ruby finally took it.

"Thanks…" Ruby mumbled before taking a small bite.

"How are your after school classes with Professor Goodwitch?" Pyrrha asked.

Ruby's eyes suddenly lit up as she snapped her body toward Pyrrha and extolled the lessons and all that she has learned, wildly gesturing with her hands and a full mouth filled with the sandwich she had forgotten to swallow.

Pyrrha couldn't help but laugh as she placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder, "Ruby, swallow first, then breath."

Ruby froze, completely unprepared for the gesture. So she turned her body more, in a subtle disengage to get Pyrrha's hand off and did just what was suggested, continuing on as if uninterrupted, "-but then Glynda told me that for us to be able to complete the blueprints, I need to purchase some materials. But a few of them aren't even available in school stock or in the town." She finished with a contemplative frown, biting into her sandwich once again.

She would most likely have to ask Roman for a favor… again. He would probably have her take up his dry cleaning in return.

"Oh," Pyrrha frowned in sympathy, "Perhaps you may be able to purchase them when you have free time during your mission?" She tried optimistically.

Ruby looked up in thought, her sandwich nearly finished. The idea was quite possible, but she didn't even know where her mission would be or what options she had. "Maybe…" She wistfully said.

She would have to ask her sister about it before contacting Roman then.

She turned back to Pyrrha, both halfs of the sandwich completely finished, "Thanks for the food by the way!" She smiled, always grateful for being fed freely instead of having to steal it. (no matter how amusing it could be)

"Oh no, I just hope it was enough after our spar." Pyrrha smiled politely.

Ruby jumped to her feet, swiveling on her feet to face Pyrrha as she danced backwards and gave a firm nod and smile. "Any bit of food is enough." she assured, "Is there any part of the spar you wanted to go over or work on?"

Pyrrha hummed, standing up as she dusted herself off of any crumbs that may have landed on her from eating, "Well, there was one particular area…"

Ruby nodded, grabbing a scroll from the side of the room and inputting some commands, causing a video of their spar be projected onto the wall as Pyrrha hovered a little from beside her.

"I believe it was after your magnificent display of evasion via use of your dust crystals…" Pyrrha noted.

"Oh yeah, and then you charged in after me." Ruby laughed, fast forwarding the video to the mentioned action. "That power slide was awesome by the way!"

Pyrrha smiled, in pride at the compliment. "Thank you." She said before continuing on, "You could have engaged me in another combat, but instead, you began to stick with evasive maneuvers, and only began attacking me with your fists when you could. I was wondering if you could grant me some insight on your strategy." Pyrrha asked.

Ruby nodded, pressing some more buttons to have the scene be played on loop and slowed down. She led the two toward the center of the room once more to help reenact the aforementioned setting as she began explaining her thought process during the time, step by step.

Pyrrha would alway nod in acknowledgment, asking questions here and there about what she could have done to counter.

Ruby would hesitate for a moment, before answering fluidly with a handful of tactics that could have hurt her, or caused her to back off.

In return, Pyrrha would mention how she noticed that Ruby had difficulty in certain situations, and offer her own advice and assistance while using the projector to continue to display their movements.

Very frequently, when one or the other displayed a particularly splendid move, they would compliment each other on it. Feeding each other words of encouragement.

As they continued walking each other through their match, a regular pattern began to show to Pyrrha, and she couldn't help but to mention it.

"I noticed during our spars that you have a pageant for sending me off ground then executing aerial moves, and that is usually where I start to falter."

Ruby nodded. It was hard to notice that one of Pyrrha's greatest strengths was where she had a controlled, firm stance and environment, but the moment she was airborne, she had very little room to maneuver. Ruby assumed that people usually don't have the time to realize that when in the heat of battle, or had no way of following Pyrrha into the air when that happened. Due to the fact that Ruby's fighting heavily relied on her being able to maneuver around and into the air, it was something fairly easy for her to see.

Pyrrha was very reliant on being grounded, and had no means to hasten gravity to take hold of her unlike other people.

Ruby's team had their own ways, Yang with her shotgun gauntlets, Weiss with her glyphs, Blake with her clones, and Ruby had her hook swords to help her ride a manufactured wind. While only half of Pyrrha's team seemed to do fine when in the air; Ren seemed very flexible (how, Ruby had no idea) and Nora had her… hammer.

Her family seemed to be an even mix of being unusual; Mercury had his shotgun boots, and (like Ruby), Emerald was very flexible to maneuver in the air. (Although, it would be more exact to say that Ruby was like Emerald in that regards, seeing as she did help teach Ruby how to ride the wind.) Roman had his grappling chain on his cane, allowing him to pull him toward the earth or somewhere else that he could grab, while Neo had her own means of distracting her opponent to buy her time to get to ground. Cinder, Ruby's dear sister who also taught her how to maneuver around in the air, thought it would be more ominous to use fire to help her move around from her dust infused clothing.

It was definitely something Ruby never failed to point out to her sister whenever Cinder did so.

"Do you happen to have any ideas as to how I could improve in such an area?" Pyrrha asked.

Ruby frowned in thought before shrugging, "Don't go airborne."

Pyrrha laughed in amusement, "That's hardly advice."

Ruby smiled, "No, I'm serious! If you know your weakness, you should probably avoid it. I mean, you could find a way to improve it, sure, but that doesn't change the fact that it is your weakness. You might be able to overcome it if you change your fighting style, but that takes a lot of work and time to incorporate something new. Avoiding the problem is just a lot easier."

"Is that why you always take my shield away?" Pyrrha asked with a small glint from her eyes.

Ruby sheepishly ducked her head, "Maybe."

Pyrrha hummed, "I suppose that there is merit to your strategy, but what happens in the event that you can't avoid it?"

"Then you brace yourself and endure a few seconds of pain." Ruby proclaimed with a nod.

"When you put it that way, then there simply is no other option." the other laughed

Ruby scratched her head, "Well, I mean. There could be a way, but it's something you have to figure out for yourself. I take your shield away because I can, and while you could say I am avoiding the problem, it doesn't change the fact that I removed it for a moment before it could become one… Even if that moment is getting shorter since you decided to use your polarity more freely."

"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha said with a smile, indicating that she actually was not. "But, I do recall you insisting that it would prove most entertaining. I was simply happy to oblige."

Ruby stuck her tongue out in retort. "As if I had to beg for it."

Pyrrha tilted her head with an amused look on her face, causing Ruby to shuffle uncomfortably under the attention, but before Pyrrha could say anything, Ruby's scroll rang.

With a contemplative frown, Ruby went over to her bag and fished her device out, relieved upon noticing that Weiss was calling her and giving her a reason to calm herself.

Unlike before, there was no reason for Ruby to think that she was going to be chewed out, because there were no pranks she set up against her teammate. So she answered with a confident, "Yo."

A sigh was heard from the line, "Good afternoon Ruby, the least you could do is answer the phone properly." She lightly complained, though from her tone, it was easy to tell she didn't really care for it.

Ruby playfully rolled her eyes. Ever since the fight with the Paladin, the two seemed to get along a little better, no longer being annoyed with one another, and instead, seemed to enable one another for humor. "Hello, Ruby Fall speaking. How can I help you on this fine day Miss Schnee?"

Weiss hummed pleasantly, "Better. Now, if you could help me with the school dance by-"

"Whoa. I thought I said I didn't want anything to do with preparations." Ruby quickly said, "That's why I did you guys a favor and convinced team CRDL to help with the muscle work."

"Which I'm truly grateful for, and with Blake's help, we have been making tremendous progress. However, allow me to finish my previous statement." Weiss easily began, "I'm not asking that you come to the ballroom to help us set up, I'm asking if you would be so kind to accompany Yang to town to obtain some supplies."

Ruby frowned, "Um… what?" She asked in disbelief.

A sigh, "We made an arrangement of sorts. For every item I want, she is allowed an item of her choosing"

A pause.

"Um… Okay?"

"So please take her out into town and help her get some supplies, even if they are improper for formal events. " Weiss finished.

"...But…" Ruby began with uncertainty, shifting on her feet to show her discomfort.

There was a sound of rustling and low talking from the scroll line, "Excuse me for a moment, Blake wishes to speak to you."

"Is everything alright?" Pyrrha asked in concern, now standing a few steps behind Ruby.

"I don't know…" Ruby confessed with confusion.

Pyrrha shifted a bit, causing Ruby to reflexively glance over to her and notice the deep frown and furrowed brows of concern still held on the other's face.

Ruby put her scroll on speaker to help ease Pyrrha, and include her into the conversation.

It would probably be easier if the both of them were listening to decipher… whatever Weiss was trying to pull Ruby into.

Some free static rang through before it became clear once again, and Blake's voice came through.

"Ruby?"

"Hiya Blake."

"Please accompany Yang out into town." Blake began in a low tone, "There's… a lot of supplies that are needed"

"Um… Okay?"

"We're hoping that some new company and fresh air into town is just what she needs."

Ruby frowned, finding something incredibly off about both Weiss and Blake. "Blake… What's going on?" she asked suspiciously

Silence

"If you don't mind," Pyrrha started softly, causing Ruby to give her attention. "I do believe that what Weiss and Blake are trying to say is that something has happened with Yang, and they simply wish for you to check in on her."

"Thanks Pyrrha." Blake sighed with relief

Ruby frowned up at Pyrrha, "But…"

"You should go." She suggested with a gentle smile, "Being there for your teammate is important after all."

"... right." Ruby agreed with a hesitant smile.

Another breath of relief was heard through the scroll. "Thanks, Yang will be waiting for you at the front of the school in about 15 minutes."

"Wait! I didn't say-"

It was too late though, as Blake had cut off the connection.

"...- that I was ready… yet…" Ruby finished. Once more she casted a glance to Pyrrha with a look of disbelief and confusion.

Pyrrha could only give a small, sympathetic smile, reaching up to gently place her hand on Ruby's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll have fun."

Like always, Ruby tensed upon contact, all too aware of Pyrrha's hand, but was quickly relieved as Pyrrha released her shoulder and relaxed once again. "Hopefully there won't be any trouble this time." Ruby mused, hoping that her team's habit of interfering with the organization would not be coming up this time.

"I was under the impression that you enjoyed creating trouble." Pyrrha said with amusement.

"Only when I know I won't get in trouble." Ruby snorted.

Pyrrha shook her head with a light chuckle, causing Ruby to beam. "Might I accompany you out to the front of the school then?"

Ruby shrugged, "Sure." She agreed easily, turning the projector off as they returned to the side of the room to gather their bags.

On their way out, Pyrrha had noticed Ruby eyeing her weapons every so often, and had offered to allow her dorm neighbor to examine them, causing Ruby's eyes and expression to light up eagerly as she accepted the weapons as though she had obtained new presents.

Ruby rapidly began firing off questions one after another in regards to them; what were their names? Why did Pyrrha choose these weapons out of everything else? What materials are they made out of? Etc.

Pyrrha patiently answered each and every single question directed her way with a smile on her face, which only seemed to enable Ruby more as she came up with more questions.

At one point, Ruby had begun facing Pyrrha, walking backwards and making it apparent that Ruby had gotten off tangent and expound the possibilities of how she might be able to use Pyrrha's weapons as she wildly gestured with the xiphos, leaving Pyrrha no choice but to use her polarity to help Ruby avoid cutting up the walls and other students with amusement, while apologizing on Ruby's behalf. She even had to subtly gesture to the young leader the direction of where to go.

Until finally, Pyrrha had to reach out and grab Ruby by her shoulders to prevent her from bumping into someone who had stopped in the middle of the hallway.

"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha apologized to Ruby first before glancing behind her. "I'm sorry." She hastily apologized again.

Ruby tensed once again upon contact with the taller woman, frowning as she leaned and turned her head back to get a better look behind her, only to catch sight of familiar gold eyes. "Cinder!" She exclaimed joyously, swiveling around her feet, causing Pyrrha's hands to let go of her, and immediately crashing into her sister with a hug.

The sight astonished Pyrrha, as she had not seen Ruby ever react to another in such a way. She could not recall a moment during their time at Beacon when Ruby would willingly initiate body contact with another besides during her few sparring matches.

"Hello Ruby." Cinder chuckled in amusement as she returned the hug. "What do you have here?" She asked as they separated, eyeing the new weapon in Ruby's hand.

"Oh." Ruby remembered as red lightly dusted her cheeks in embarrassment for forgetting about the weapon and the company she had.

Mercury, Emerald, and Neo all looked at Ruby in amusement and curiosity.

Attempting to regain her dignity, Ruby straightened her back and took a step away from Cinder as she gestured to Pyrrha, allowing the taller person to take her weapon back. "Guys, this is Pyrrha. She and I have been sparring together. Pyrrha this is my si- I mean! Uhhhh... These are my… friends! Cinder, Emerald, Neo, and Mercury." Ruby said, pointing to the respecting owners of each name. "From Haven." She quickly added, glancing over to the other three out of habit for help, but was distracted by the Neo's new appearance of black hair and green eyes.

She slightly inclined her head in question as Neo smiled with a shrug.

Emerald casted a look of utter disbelief in Ruby's direction, mentally face palming at how helpless Ruby was.

"...A pleasure." Cinder retorted, taking the reins from her sister while pleased to finally meet one of the very few candidates that Ruby had placed on their list.

"Likewise." Pyrrha nodded with a pleasant, and polite smile, placing her hand out for a shake.

Cinder hummed, taking the offered gesture to give a firm shake to.

Pyrrha certainly looked like the type of project Ozpin would be interested in, and if her past tournament records were any indication, then Pyrrha had the highest potential of becoming the product Ozpin intended.

"So… How did… you all meet?" Pyrrha asked, attempting to start a small talk.

"We met at a village just outside Mistral." Cinder easily lied, critically eyeing Pyrrha. "Her family… encouraged us to assist her with work." she ominously stated, leaving plenty of room for imagination.

At that, Pyrrha shuffled uncomfortably, which caused Cinder to smirk.

Of course she would have a lawful mind.

Cinder sighed, deciding to continue with the fabricated story in hopes that it would make Pyrrha even more uncomfortable to at least stay out of their way. "After we helped her, she seemed to take a liking toward us, and we were asked to watch over her. Her… family left us little choice in the matter." She paused, casting and amused glance toward Ruby. "It was absolutely needed as she found herself in trouble more often than I would like, especially with authority figures."

Ruby guiltily lowered her head at the last statement, as Emerald gave her a pointed look while Mercury and Neo smirked in amusement.

"She does find herself in trouble rather frequently." Pyrrha said in an attempt to stay polite and engaging.

Cinder lightly hummed in Ruby's direction. "Indeed. Which begs the question, what kind of trouble are you heading towards now little-" she paused, just catching herself in time before she spilt their relations out. "-one?" She finished.

"To town." Ruby pouted, her eyes fixed on the floor, not at all happy with the accusation and stigma being placed on her. "My uh, teammates wanted me to help Yang out with something."

The four immediately tensed, Cinder's smile dropping as her lips thinned as her eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second before Ruby could catch it.

Pyrrha did however, and took a guarded step forward, just a few inches ahead of Ruby as her arm twitched out to cover her.

But she froze upon noticing, Cinder's features schooling back and Pyrrha briefly wondered if she even saw it.

"Is that so?" Cinder asked

Ruby nodded, looking back up with a small thoughtful frown. "Honestly, I think Weiss just wanted me to go out and help carry the supplies back for the school dance. Even if Yang went by herself, I don't think she'd be able to carry everything back."

The four tensed again, though this time, Pyrrha didn't notice as she frowned and turned toward Ruby.

"That may be so…" Pyrrha tentatively began, "However, Blake sounded rather nervous approaching the subject, so I don't think it's something you should completely disregard."

Ruby pried her lips to the side in contemplation, before she puffed out a sigh in resignation.

Pyrrha could only give a sympathetic smile, "We should get going if you wish to catch the next ship into town on time."

"Okay," Ruby sullenly agreed, turning back to Cinder and everyone else who had been able to smooth over their expressions. "I'll see you guys later."

Cinder mentally scowled, not at all happy with having to watch her sister leave to accompany Yang out into town. She wanted to tell her, to ask Ruby not to leave or to go anywhere with Yang, but held herself back.

It wasn't something Ruby would want to know.

So, Cinder opened her arms slightly, queuing Ruby to rush forward with a wide smile and throw her arms around Cinder.

Cinder took the opportunity to wrap her arms around Ruby just a little tighter than usual, lightly burying her face into Ruby's head and press a discreet kiss to her crown. "Don't get in any trouble." She whispered, reluctantly letting go.

Ruby frowned up at her sister, sensing something off about her, but nodded regardless. "I'll try not to." She turned to the others, cheerfully waving goodbye to them, all returning the gesture as she and Pyrrha walked away.

The moment they turned at a corner though, the four tensed once again.

Emerald, Mercury, and Neo all glanced to each other in question, silently communicating to each other as they wondered if Cinder already knew who Yang was.

Emerald and Neo had been most certain that Cinder knew, as she had always read the reports on what their investigators learned of Ruby, and of those sent to find and follow her.

And since Ruby always told Cinder about her school life whenever she got the chance, there was no doubt that Cinder knew that Yang was the same person that they all dreaded.

"Neo." Cinder calmly called, causing said girl to look up at the back of Cinder's head in question.

"Go follow the girl, and determine whether or not she knows." She ordered, "And make sure Ruby doesn't catch you. As you know, she gets upset when we involve ourselves in such matters."

Neo nodded, eager to keep a close eye on them as she quickly trailed after Ruby. Leaving Mercury and Emerald to Cinder's quiet frustration.

* * *

"Thanks for walking me out." Ruby said with a small smile, stopping to face Pyrrha the moment they reached outside.

"It was my pleasure." Pyrrha reassured. She stared down at Ruby with a thoughtful expression, causing Ruby to hesitate in her departure.

She stood uncomfortably before Pyrrha, wondering what more Pyrrha had wished to say and hoping that she wouldn't begin asking questions about Cinder, Mercury, Neo, and Emerald.

Like Pyrrha thought, Ruby seemed less candid away from the boarding team, and was a little disappointed.

Though initially surprised at Ruby's sudden enthusiasm, Pyrrha would have found it rather endearing like all the other times when Ruby talked about weaponry - were it not for the fact that Cinder made her feel uncomfortable for some reason.

Now that they were away, Pyrrha had hoped that some of Ruby's earlier animation would have carried over for Pyrrha to observe at ease, but unfortunately was unable to.

If anything though, Ruby seemed more open to portray her own discomfort as she shuffled nervously before Pyrrha.

"Umm…" Ruby tried with a nervous smile.

"Ruby!" Yang called, coming up from behind where they just came. "I didn't think you'd get here before me."

"Oh, hey Pyrrha. Are you coming with us?" She asked

Pyrrha shook her head, "I was merely accompanying Ruby out here to wait."

"Aw, that's so sweet." Yang smiled, turning to Ruby and nudging her.

"What?" Ruby asked

Yang nodded over to Pyrrha, gesturing with her eyes.

Ruby didn't seem to understand, her expression showing completely befuddlement and causing Pyrrha to giggle.

"You're welcome." Pyrrha prompted with amusement.

"Oh! Thanks." Ruby said with a small grin.

Yang nodded in approval as the ship going into town touched down on the landing platform, "C'mon! We need to go." She said, tugging on Ruby's shoulder. "See you later Pyrrha!"

"Bye!" Ruby waved, walking backwards as she allowed Yang to pull her.

A passing thought came through Pyrrha's mind, idly wondering what it would be like to be on the receiving end of one of Ruby's joyful hugs instead of being waved goodbye, but shook it off, not knowing where that came from. "I hope you two have fun" Pyrrha said instead, waving her hand before mouthing, "Good luck"

Ruby nervously smiled at the reminder of being asked to cheer Yang up, giving a nod before she turned around to walk properly. "So…" She tried to begin, "How has… your day been?" She awkwardly asked.

Yang breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief as they boarded the airship, "Fine. I'm just happy to get a break away from Weiss. She's been bossing me around all day and turning down all my ideas," Yang mentioned before changing her tone of voice to be higher pitched.

"Yang, no, we can't have a stereo system. No Yang, we can not have fireworks. No Yang, we can't have strobe lights. No Yang, this is a _formal_ dance. No Yang, I can't find-" She paused, and let out a shout of frustration. "In the end, we had to compromise and make a trade off. For every item I get, she gets something."

"It's just been so annoying." Yang finished with slight aggravation

Ruby frowned in contemplation. It wasn't like Yang to not get along with Weiss. In fact, it wasn't like Yang to be so… disagreeable, or cranky.

Of course, It was possible that Weiss was being rather difficult. However, when Weiss had attempted to conscript Ruby into assisting them set up for the school dance, it was fairly painless to convince her otherwise. Although, Ruby did end up offering CRDL in her stead.

"Um…" Ruby hummed, not knowing what to say.

Yang huffed in annoyance, shaking her head, "Nevermind that. So? What have you and Pyrrha been up to?"

For the rest of their ride into town, Ruby summarized what she and Pyrrha had been working on while Yang stayed in relative silence, making it a lot more awkward for Ruby as she didn't know what to do. Upon arrival, the two immediately started shopping around for the supplies Weiss and Yang wrote down with mostly silence between them.

Weiss had allowed Yang a portion of the budget for the dance, and instructed that a few items were a must, hiring; a photographer, a DJ, and caterers, while everything else was up to Yang.

Though, taking into consideration the amount left for Yang had, she wouldn't be able to obtain much

She managed to obtain bass stereos, and supplied corsages and boutonnieres, but did not enough for her fog machine or her strobe lights.

"I guess we'll have to return Weiss's doilies." Yang grumbled as they walked out of the store. "She's not going to be happy about this… She really wanted them and her red carpet entrance."

Ruby glanced over to Yang, noting the other's disappointment at not being able to gain her fog machine, and glanced down to the bag of doilies that she had suffered through to obtain, having to send pictures to Weiss for approval.

The pain of going through that was not going to waste if she could help it.

Ruby looked around the plaza, noting all the shops and found a rather familiar bookstore a little further down the way.

"Hey, can you wait up for me for a moment? I'll be back." Ruby asked.

Confused Yang couldn't help but ask, "Where are you going?"

She was met with a mischievous smile as Ruby made a shooing motion toward Yang, "Don't worry about it and just give me about 15 minutes."

"Uh. Okay. Sure." Yang agreed, "I'll just wait over there on the stairs at the plaza." She said, pointing over to the location.

"Sounds good! I'll see you there." Ruby nodded before running off and turning into an alleyway.

Yang leaned over to the side, attempting to follow Ruby with her line of sight while curious as to what her leader was doing, but shook her head. Instead, she walked over to the stairs she said she would wait, and set her bags down.

To kill some time, she took out her scroll to play some games.

Maybe she'll be able to advance to the next stage before Ruby got back.

Unfortunately, Yang had only managed to progress through 3 fights, when she felt someone peering over her shoulder.

"Oooh!" Ruby voiced in interest, "Semblance Fighter? How far are you?"

"I just need to get passed this to get to the boss on the second stage." Yang answered, right as her character died. She sighed in frustration before pocketing her scroll again, standing up to turn and face Ruby. Upon doing so, she arched a brow once she noticed the large, paper bag in Ruby's hands. "What did you get?"

"Oh, this?" Ruby asked, lifting the bag up slightly. "This is for you." she said, handing it over.

Curious, Yang accepted the item, peeking inside to find 2 large fog machines that were supplied. She snapped her head back up with wide eyes, "How did you-?"

"I convinced the owner to let us borrow it for the school dance." Ruby smiled, glancing over to Tungsten Bookstore, where she managed to acquire help.

The owner of the bookstore, Tukson, was one of the few White Fang members working undercover with the store as a front. (Due to his latent traits, he was able to do so easily without anyone suspecting him simply because he was a faunus.) His purpose, along with 5 other members, was to observe other shop owners around him and hand information back to the organization and to help recruit for potential suppliers. Which was just what Ruby needed to borrow the fog machines without a cost.

"He doesn't mind that we have them, so long as we return the machines after the dance." Ruby finished.

Yang stared in slight awe, "This is amazing! I didn't actually think I'd be able to get something I actually wanted." She laughed.

Ruby stared at Yang in slight confusion, though the latter seemed to catch herself.

"Nevermind." Yang said, hoping to completely drop the subject.

Ruby seemed skeptical, but did not wish to prod Yang when she obviously did not want to talk about it. "Do you want to go get the strobe lights?" Ruby asked instead.

Yang lightly laughed, shaking her head. "I don't think I can. We don't have enough money for Weiss's red carpet entrance."

Ruby smirked, "I'm sure I can talk my way to get that."

Yang nearly choked in surprise, "I didn't know you had a silver tongue."

Ruby panicked slightly, frowning in concern, "My tongue isn't silver…" She said, though stuck her tongue out and crossed her eyes to check just in case.

At that, Yang couldn't help but to laugh, hard. "I meant that you were charismatic."

"Oh! I-I knew that." Ruby stated, trying to cover up her embarrassment.

"Sure you did." Yang playfully said with a roll of her eyes. "C'mon! Let's wrap this up and get some ice cream after, my treat!"

Ruby perked up at the promise of a snack, feeling more motivated to finish as she nodded eagerly, eliciting another laugh from Yang as the two hurried along.

The leader was relieved to find that Yang had cheered up quite considerably making it less awkward to wander around with her.

It made it fairly easier to finish their errands, and like Yang promised, treated Ruby to ice cream once they finished.

Of course, Ruby didn't forget to note that Yang didn't exactly specify the amount of ice cream she would be willing to buy, so Ruby ordered the deluxe size with extra strawberry toppings.

"I kind of feel like I've been tricked." Yang drawled, eating her meager, single scoop ice cream.

"You never said how much you'd treat me to." Ruby pointed out in a singsong voice, taking a large scoop of her ice cream with a large, happy smile.

Yang couldn't help but give a rather affectionate look to her leader, unable to muster the strength to get annoyed.

Ruby glanced up for a moment before returning her focus on her ice cream, "You look better." She said.

Yang stared at the other dumbfounded, "What?"

Ruby lightly huffed, "You've been cranky nearly all day. Blake and Weiss were worried."

Immediately, Yang scowled at the name of the latter. "What does she care?" She growled

Ruby froze at the sudden annoyance emitting from Yang, her mouth still open and ready to engulf the scoop of ice cream in front of her as she stared blankly at the other.

Yang seemed to have noticed, and had the decency to look a little embarrassed at being caught.

Ruby slowly brought the frozen snack to her mouth, unsure of what to do besides staring at the other.

Seemingly, that was all that was needed from her as Yang wilted with a heavy sigh. "Have you ever searched for something, and when you thought you found it, it wasn't enough?" Yang asked.

Ruby frowned, having absolutely no idea what Yang was talking about. "No." she said with an inclined voice, uncertain as to how to answer.

Yang fiddled with her cone, her ice cream starting to melt as it slowly dripped from the sides. She wanted to tell Ruby everything, from her missing sister, her search, to her initial suspicion of Ruby being _her_ Ruby. But she knew she couldn't, it wouldn't be fair to make her leader, who was already bearing so much work, bear Yang's problems.

"It's just, I have a missing sister. And I've been trying to find her, but I'm coming up with nothing. Weiss helped a little, but it wasn't enough." Yang explained with desperation, "If she could just dig a little further, I could get more information about my sister but-!"

She threw her cone away from the table with a shout of frustration. "She says she can't! And I don't get it! She said she had the resources! So why can't she do it?" Yang growled once again, her eyes flashing red, but just like a burnt out candle, she quickly snuffed out and wilted. "I just… I need to find her."

Ruby finally understood the problem, and her heart ached for Yang, unable to stand seeing her like this. Ruby stared down at her ice cream, trying to sort out her own feelings as she contemplated on what to say.

"You're like my sister." She said before she even realized it.

Yang looked up in shocked silence and confusion.

Ruby fiddled with her spoon, not comfortable with the attention placed on her, but persisted through. "My sister is always worried about me. So much so, that when something happens to me, she gets angry at everyone else around her even when they're trying to help, and kind of forgets to take care of herself." She said with a light laugh, thinking about Roman, Neo, Emerald, and Mercury. "I know it just means that she loves me a ton, but sometimes I wish she didn't do that."

"What do you mean?" Yang asked

Ruby fiddled with her spoon, "I think my sister forgets that I'm not just _her_ sister, but she's _my_ sister too." Ruby began, "So while she's always worried about me, I'm worried about her too. I don't like her losing sleep over me, or to forget to eat. I don't want her to always be angry because she can't do anything to help me. And I wish she didn't get angry at everyone else, because even though she doesn't know it, but they care about her too."

Ruby paused, looking up at Yang for a moment, "and I think, if your sister knew how much pain you were going through, how you weren't able to build any relationships because of her, I don't know if she'd be happy about the sacrifices you made because of her." She said become casting her eyes back to her spoon. "I mean, that's what I think. It's just, if it was me, and my sister was doing something for me, but was never happy about it, then what's the point? She might be fine with it, but I wouldn't be."

Yang frowned, staring at her folded hands in silence as she thought about what Ruby said. "I…. never thought about it like that before."

Ruby smiled, a little relieved that she managed to get her thoughts across to Yang.

Yang rubbed her neck nervously, "I'll try harder to look after myself."

"I know you will. You said so last time." Ruby mentioned, taking another bite of her ice cream

Yang winced at that, laughing humorlessly. "I guess I forgot about that when I thought about how close I was."

"That's okay. It happens." Ruby shrugged, "But I don't think it hurts to mention it to Blake and Weiss."

Yang looked a little ashamed at the mention of the there two teammates, "I need to apologize to them. I was acting like such a bitch."

"They'll understand," Ruby reassured, standing up once her bowl was empty and grabbing a few bags. "Ready to go?"

Breathing a small sigh of relief, Yang couldn't help but to smile at Ruby as she got up herself, picking up the rest of their items.

As the two walked back to the airship, Yang nudged Ruby to gain her attention, "Hey Ruby?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad that I have a friend like you." Yang earnestly whispered.

The confession gripped at Ruby's heart for a brief moment, constricted it tightly like when she tried to reassure Blake after their fight. Like when she helped her team at the underpass when they all thanked her for being there for them.

And she gave a nervous smile, "M-me too."

Yang laughed, throwing an arm around Ruby's shoulder for a half hug.

Ruby couldn't help but think about how heavy Yang's arm felt at that time.

Their trip back to school was spent with relative ease as Ruby had quickly changed the subject to Semblance Fighter, a topic the two quickly got engrossed and engaged in.

By the time they entered the ballroom, the two were debating about certain characters and whether or not a few were overpowered or too weak, but stopped when met with the peculiar sight of Weiss standing at the top of a ladder to pin up some decorations with Blake holding it steady at the bottom.

"Weiss, please be careful." Blake called in concern.

"I'm… fine." Weiss tried to reassure in a strained voice as she tried reaching up much higher than she could. "Almost… got it… Ha!" With a small hop, she managed to pin the decoration up and in her excitement, swiveled on her heel.

"You see that Cardin Winchester? I can manage just fi-Ah!" Evidently, she failed to realized that she was on a ladder and fell over with a startled scream.

Thankfully, Blake seemed ready for such, and quickly sprang up to catch Weiss. Due to the awkward angle of how she had to jump though, Blake had to use her semblance to help her move away from the ladder, but inevitably threw herself back onto the ground and on her back.

Weiss slightly groaned, turning to Blake in concern as she got back up. "Are you okay?" She asked, offering her hand for assistance.

"I think that counts for your battle plan of me catching you to prevent your crash." Blake said with a slight wince, taking the offered hand.

Weiss playfully rolled her eyes, "My free roaming knight, only helping me when convenient."

The comment made Blake laugh, "If I was more confident that I could protect you free of injury, then I might be inclined to do so more often." She humored."I wonder if it would have been safer if I actually had a solid clone to brace the ladder so I could hold onto it and catch you…" she mused aloud to herself.

Weiss exaggerated a sigh, as if disappointed while continuing on from Blake's first comment. "Well, I suppose I have no choice but to fire you and hire someone new to do your job."

Blake arched a brow with slight amusement, "I think you're hanging out with Ruby too much."

"I must admit, improvising scenarios for banter is rather entertaining." Weiss confessed.

"I knew she liked it." Ruby stage whispered to Yang.

"Oh, I didn't realize the two of you were here." Weiss exclaimed with slight shock, as she walked up to them in a hurried pace with Blake following after.

"Yup!" Ruby smiled, "We got everything you wanted." She said, placing all her bags down.

Weiss's eyes flickered wide in surprise, "Really?" She asked in disbelief, "I didn't think there'd be enough money."

"We managed." Ruby shrugged. "Right Yang?"

Yang nodded, a little nervous to be back in front of Blake and Weiss as she placed her own bags down. "Right."

"Yang…" Blake began hesitantly, "Are you… feeling better?"

Yang nodded, rubbing her left shoulder as she tried to straighten up. "Yeah, thanks for asking." She said, "And… i'm sorry I was acting like such a bitch to you guys. I was just frustrated, and ended up taking it out on you two."

Weiss was once again surprised, casting a quick glance over to Blake as if wondering if they both heard the same thing. A glance that was confirmed upon meeting Blake's eyes before focusing their attention back to Yang. "It's fine Yang, we understand."

Yang smiled in relief, "Now c'mon! We have some systems to set up." She grinned, gesturing to the bags in hand.

She and Blake went off, with Yang handing Blake some bags as she began talking about where she would like to put some items. Ruby was about to turn to leave, but was stopped with a hand on her shoulder.

"Might I ask you to borrow a bit of your time?" Weiss asked

Ruby paused, hesitantly nodding in agreement and allowed Weiss to pull her, leading her out of the ballroom, just right by the door.

"Why Weiss, if I had known you just wanted to be alone with me, I wouldn't have so easily agreed." Ruby joked.

The comment didn't elicit a reaction from Weiss as usual, instead, she seemed to adopt a rather serious expression as her fingers fidgeted against one another.

Ruby suddenly became nervous, her chest growing heavier as she realized the seriousness of the situation.

A number of scenarios ran through her head, fearing the worst as she briefly wondered if her cover had been compromised or if Weiss disapproved something about Ruby's behavior. Her fears caused her to rethink of every possible action that could have been considered a mistake or offensive toward the heiress.

"I was wondering if, you could help me train." Weiss began

Everything in Ruby's head froze, her inner turmoil coming to a halt as she breathed a mental sigh of relief. Regardless, the request still made her confused. "Um… What?"

Weiss shuffled a bit, before taking a deep breath and straightening her back. "I've been thinking about the fight against the Paladin, and I realized… I couldn't help Blake and Yang. There were countless mistakes I made, all of which put the other two in danger and when it mattered… I-" She took a shaky breath, notifying Ruby just how harshly this had been plaguing Weiss. "I couldn't protect them."

Ruby shuffled uncomfortably, "That wasn't your fault though, you were just trying your best."

"My best wasn't enough." Weiss snapped, causing Ruby to recoil away. Weiss looked apologetic, "I'm sorry. It's just -" She sighed.

"As you are no doubt aware, Pyrrha is a four time consecutive tournament champion. For a while, I didn't think she had any more room for improvement, I simply thought her to be as she is. Just someone who was made to win no matter what." Weiss began, "Were it not for the match she had against you, I would not have thought that she had any flaws when it came to fighting. I would not have thought that she had more room for improvement. But then, she asked you for help, and now, when I watch her fight, I'm amazed to find how much she had improved in what little time she had with you."

"That's why, I wondered if you could help me." Weiss said with near desperation.

Ruby shifted on her feet, unsure of what to make of the situation and feeling conflicted as she remembered what laid in store for the future, the plan always near the forefront of her mind. She wasn't supposed to make it any more difficult, something she was already doing by helping Pyrrha, one of the few people that the organization was supposed to keep wary of and who was on the list. Helping Weiss, someone Ruby thought to already be rather capable and could prove a hinderance, could possibly make it more difficult.

"Please Ruby. I know you already have some difficulties right now, but if you could do this for me, then I would be more happy to assist you with your academics." Weiss nearly begged, "I just, I want to be stronger. So when it matters, I can protect people." She said, glancing inside the ballroom.

Ruby followed her eyesight, looking right at Yang and Blake who were glancing over to them in concern, and felt her heart tighten. She turned back to Weiss, her silver eyes bearing holes into the floor as she suddenly felt a sense of obligation and duty overcome her, not unlike the few times she led her own small team for heists.

"Okay…" Ruby agreed.

Weiss breathed an audible sigh of relief, "Thank you Ruby, you have no idea how much this means for me."

Ruby strained a smile, "No problem. Just doing my duty as team leader."

* * *

Cinder hummed, her fingers effortlessly and carefully sewing together an article of clothing in her lap as Emerald sat at the desk, swiping through a scroll pad and reading through the few students on the list while Mercury lounged on the floor.

Emerald had just finished reading about a Coco Adel, swiping over to the next student only to frown in concern. "Ma'm… About Pyrrha Nikos."

"Yes. What about her?" Cinder asked, noticing the other's tone.

"Nothing." Emerald said, "It's just, I couldn't help but noticed how Ruby didn't feel comfortable with her."

Mercury perked up, though made no move to shift from his position on the floor. "I'm sure it's no big deal. The squirt is probably just feeling awkward because she's hanging around someone on the list and doesn't know how to act."

Cinder hummed, recalling the slight tension in her dear sister when they were together. "Yes." She nodded in agreement, "Being around someone she has to keep an eye on would unfortunately make my sister stay on her toes." She said, her fingers lightly tapping on the side of the pad in worry.

"I do hate to make her feel this way, but it is unfortunately necessary if we wish to be certain as to who Ozpin would wish to be his Beacon. And the girl Ruby is keeping an eye on, most certainly possesses almost all the qualities that Ozpin so adores." Cinder sighed, "But… It's just for a little while longer. Soon, Ruby will have no reason to worry or to stress." She finished with a small smile, looking forward to the end of their current plan where the two sisters could be with each other more often.

Just then, she heard their window open as Neo swung in, her disguise washing off to be replaced with her school cover of black hair and green eyes.

"Neo," Cinder acknowledged, glancing up from her work. "What did you find?"

Neo dusted herself off of imaginary dirt, pulling out her scroll while doing so. Quickly, she swiped around and opened up her notes, handing it over to Cinder to read over with a small smile.

At this, Emerald and Mercury sat up rigidly, holding their breath as they turned to Cinder for answers and waited.

It didn't take long for Cinder to finish, a sigh of relief escaping her mouth. "She doesn't know." She summarized, referring to their worries about Yang and causing the other two to relax.

Neo nodded happily, before seemingly remembered something, and frowned.

"What is it?" Cinder asked

Quickly, Neo typed on her scroll, turning it to show Cinder the message.

" _Ruby is worried about you."_

Cinder couldn't help but to smile, warmed at her sister's concern as she contently returned to sewing her work. "Is that so? I suppose I'll simply have to call her in so we can talk about it before the dance." She said, causing everyone else to smile in humor.

* * *

 


	15. Distraction

 

Ruby lightly grumbled, shifting uncomfortably in her above knee length, high-waist red dress that had layers overlapping one another, each lined with gold at the hem like the frills that were exposed at the very bottom. She rubbed the crook of her bare neck, where most of her shoulders were exposed due to the portrait neckline threaded with black.

This felt terribly different from what she was used to wearing, where everything was so… snug and light. Even with the black sash on her waist that showed off a few, pale golden flowers at her hip and her thin, black leggings, they still were too light. Too snug. It felt like another layer of unwanted skin.

She also felt slightly exposed, almost naked. Usually, just about every inch of her was covered; from her neck to her hands and to her toes. In a dress, it became palpable just how tiny her frame was. Her leggings highlighted just how thin her legs were despite how sturdy they stood. The demeanor of her body was no doubt due to all her parkour stunts she pulled, the running/sprinting she did that caused her to grow up somewhat lanky, and as an unfortunate side effect of her semblance. She usually had absolutely no problems with her appearance, she loved how her body portrayed herself. In a school where most students were a lot bigger though, she felt a bit more intimidated despite knowing fully well that she could very well handle herself.

She wasn't sure she would be so keen on wearing anything like these… again

She mentally sighed to herself as she realized how much of a lie that was. She was willing to wear just about anything her sister made for her no matter how tedious the modeling process may be and that she would take any chance to show it off in pride because whatever her sister made, was **always** going to look great.

"I must admit, I didn't actually think you would be showing up in a dress." Weiss appraised with a critical eye. "It suits you well."

Ruby snorted, "I'm glad you think so. After all, you're the reason why I dressed up so nicely. " She joked

"I'm flattered. Truly, I am. Were it not for the fact that formal attire was a requirement to attend, then I might have believed you." Weiss dryly stated.

Ruby snapped her fingers, "Darn. And here I was sure you came all dressed up for me too."

Weiss gave an amused look, smoothing down her asymmetrical shimmering dark blue dress that stopped at her left knee and began to cascade down to her right ankle, lightening to a cyan blue at the bottom with her white, opera gloved fingers, before flipping her hair over her bare shoulders. "Unfortunately for you, I only dressed to impress myself."

Ruby snorted, knowing fully well that Weiss had dressed herself to highlight the areas she was most proud of. Her shoulders, and her legs. (Though, in this case, a leg.) Due to fencing lessons, Weiss had gained a rather nimble frame, not unlike Ruby. Except, Ruby noted in slight envy, that Weiss had slightly longer legs than she did, despite being a mere inch taller. Regardless, the main difference between their frames seemed to be the simple fact that Weiss seemed to fit in her skin, while Ruby was still scrawny and looked like she had to eat more.

"You guys are weird." Yang commented with a shake of her head, unsure of how to take the two's new form of banter that seemed to have evolved since they began their late night lessons together.

"Weirdly GOOD LOOKING!" Ruby added, causing Weiss to lightly giggle with a polite hand hovering over her mouth, the other free to give her team leader a high five.

"Oh yeah? Well I think that your hair is what's weird! Come here!" Yang exclaimed, quickly throwing her bare, muscular arm over Ruby and pulling her down into a headlock to give a noogie.

"No! Yang!" Ruby whined, attempting to pull herself out of her prison where it felt like she was being crushed by walls, only for her cheek to continuously rub against the laced bodice area of Yang's pearl white and pale yellow cocktail dress.

Yang merely laughed, continuing to ruffle up Ruby's hair before releasing her. "There. I think you look better now." She grinned

Ruby grumbled, rolling her eyes to the top as if it would help her see her hair better as she patted it down.

Blake chuckled at the display, "Here." She said, stepping up to her team leader, briefly exposing the muscles that portrayed her movement in her pale, slim leg in the slit of her dark purple, near black maxi dress. She gently turned Ruby around to help fix her hair as Weiss began fixing the front.

The help caused Ruby to groan, "I can do it myself you guys."

"It's fine, just let us do this for you." Blake quietly stated.

Ruby grumbled, but allowed her two teammates to fix her hair.

"Missed a spot." Yang snickered as she reached over and flipped a few more strands of her leader's hair.

A sound of a light smack was heard, causing Ruby to glance up to Weiss in question, only to meet with a glare that was not directed at her.

"Stop ruining her hair." Weiss stated.

"Aw, come on Weiss." Yang whined

"No." Weiss snipped, finishing Ruby's hair.

"Thanks." Ruby mumbled.

"Matey-Ruby!"

Upon being called, Ruby turned her head to the source of her name, but barely had time to see a rapidly incoming Penny.

Before she knew it, she was on the floor staring at the ceiling with no breath of air in her lungs, a heavy weight on top of her, and a dull throb at the back of head. "Why…" She groaned

Penny laughed merrily, standing back up and helping Ruby as well. "My sincerest apologies Ruby! I was just happy to see you, it has been quite a while."

"Y-Yeah." Ruby nodded with a slight wince.

"Might I inquire as to your past indulgences up to the present?" Penny asked

Ruby laughed, "The same old stuff."

Penny hummed, staring at Ruby's face. "Are you certain? Your stress levels seem to have risen quite a bit since we last saw each other."

Ruby self-consciously touched the area under her eyes, where her dark bags were covered by makeup before laughing nervously, "I'm fine, but I might have started helping Weiss in exchange for more help with studying in the evening."

"Indeed. She has been improving not only myself, but her academia quite tremendously." Weiss interjected with a nod.

"Oh, right." Ruby voiced, remembering that she should introduce her team to Penny. "Guys, this is Penny. She's here to fight in the tournament."

"Salutations!" Penny saluted with a wide smile

"Penny, these are my teammates; Weiss, Blake, and Yang." Ruby said, gesturing to the respective owner of each name.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Weiss politely said with a curtsey.

"Nice to meet ya." Yang grinned

"A pleasure to meet you." Blake said with a slight bow of her head.

Penny beamed at all of them, turning to Ruby, "Your friends seem wonderful matey!"

"Matey?" The three repeated in varying tones.

Ruby gave a small smile, "I guess, but truth be told I kind of had no other choice, so I'm stuck with them." She joked, causing the other three to laugh in amusement as Yang roughly elbowed their leader in lighthearted jest.

"Please, if we had any other choice, you can be assured that we would trade you for another in no time." Weiss claimed

Penny suddenly looked concerned, until Ruby realized the possibility of a misunderstanding and reassured the other.

"Don't worry, we're just kidding around Penny." Ruby said

"Oh!" Penny proclaimed, with a clap of her hands. "How wonderful! The four of you must be very close to properly understand one another!"

Ruby's heart leapt out of her chest at the proclamation, her throat tightening, making it hard to swallow as she strained herself to smile, "Yeah."

Weiss nodded in approval, "Yes. Team RWBY has been excellent in regards to-" She paused, noticing something particular about the small crowd behind Penny. "That's odd."

"What is?" Blake asked

Weiss gestured over to the front of the crowd with a polite, open hand.

Blake looked over, and was pleasantly surprised to see Velvet, and the rest of her rather popular team; Coco, Yatsuhashi, and Fox back from their mission.

"Velvet!" Blake exclaimed, running a bit up to her. "Are you okay?"

It was little known that the few Faunus on campus were acquainted with one another, if only to entrust each other with a safe space to talk to one another about or to ask for advice in regards to dealing with certain matters.

Blake couldn't exactly name why they were all like this, but assumed that it stemmed from their childhood when growing up.

Like Ruby noted during the first time they went out into town, racists were just about everywhere, and it ran deep. Just about every turn a Faunus made, they were bound to face discrimination. If they found a decent area to live in or work at though, then word would quickly be spread among the others.

Faunus had no other choice but to rely on one another to be able to survive.

So it only made sense that they all sought each other out at school.

"I'm fine," Velvet nodded with a smile. "I had everyone looking after me." She said, gesturing to her other teammates who were blocking the entranceway.

No one seemed to mind though, content to be behind and admire one of the strongest teams at Beacon.

Blake smiled in relief. "What happened? The board said you wouldn't return until next week when the first years departed for their mission."

Velvet shook her head with a sheepish look, "We just ended up clearing out the Grimm much faster than Professor Port thought."

"Just in time for the dance too!" Coco exclaimed with a laugh, throwing an arm over Velvet's shoulder.

"Allow me to excuse myself Ruby. We will reconvene at a later time during the dance." Penny whispered, understanding that her presence wasn't needed while eliciting a nod from the other before leaving.

"Velvet was so disappointed when we learned we would have to skip out on it. So she encouraged us to work just a little harder to try and make it back on time." Coco continued

Velvet's ears flopped down in embarrassment, "Coco, you weren't supposed to tell them." She whimpered.

"It's fine!" Coco laughed, "We totally deserve a break to just relax and have fun. Right boys?"

Yatsuhashi nodded in confirmation, while Fox stepped over to pull Velvet away and help shield her from embarrassment. "Right."

Coco merely continued laughing as she ruffled Velvet's head again, looking over to Ruby. "So you're the kid that's been helping Velvet out?"

"I guess." Ruby said with uncertainty. She wasn't sure whether or not she was actively helping Velvet whenever she found herself in trouble, but Ruby was certain that during the times she did it was out of irritation and pity.

Coco hummed, peering over her glasses that she most likely swapped with her trademark shades to give the younger leader a once over. "You have better sense than I thought." She grinned. "Where'd you get your outfit?"

Suddenly beaming in pride, Ruby stood a little straighter, "My sister made it! She likes making clothes for me. Isn't it nice?" She asked, twirling around in it to cause the layers of the dress to flare out, making it look like a rose blooming.

Yang nudged Blake; "Seeing her like this makes me jealous that she doesn't act like that about us." She joked in a whisper.

"We already knew how much she loves her family." Blake pointed out with a small smile, "But, it is just a little disheartening."

Weiss gave a helpless sigh, "It's only natural as we have only known her for the duration of the school year. However -" She paused for a moment, a small smile gracing her features as she recalled how supportive and encouraging Ruby was during their few, late night lessons together.

Ruby had laid out a reasonable regimen for Weiss to help train her glyph development, where they would focus on one set at a time, and then have her attempt to incorporate as much as possible together. At the very end of their session, Ruby would help Weiss with her summoning, a trait that Weiss had confessed that her family held.

She stated that there was a brief moment during her fight with the Paladin when she thought it would show, but it had disappeared once she realized it. Weiss had emphasized how she was the only family member of age who has yet to succeed in summoning, and direly wished for Ruby to help her develop the skill.

Her team leader seemed to have recognized and understood how important this meant to Weiss, and took the training incredibly seriously while praising Weiss for every success she made and encouraging her after each mistake.

It was a significantly different manner of training that Weiss was used to, where every turn she made, progress or otherwise, was met with criticism and disappointment.

She found that she much preferred training with Ruby though, as she strived to continue her progress and receiving her leader's praise, hoping to make her beam in pride one day like she did with her sister's dress.

"It would be nice." Weiss finished.

Coco whistled in appreciation, "Damn, your sister made that?" She asked, circling around Ruby to examine the outfit better. "You could even go fighting in that if you didn't mind a little bit of blood getting on it."

"You make it sound like it already isn't made of blood." Ruby smirked.

"Hah!" Coco laughed, nudging Velvet. "I like her. I like you kid. You're cool, we should definitely hang sometime."

"I'll consider it." Ruby cheekily stated, pretending to brush her nails against her shoulder.

The action only made Coco laugh harder, turning to Velvet with a wide smile. "You have someone as cool as me looking after you honey."

Velvet giggled, reaching up and lightly caressing Coco's cheek before dropping it down her shoulder and to her elbow to rest. "Almost."

Coco looked back at Ruby, giving a shrug and helpless look. "There you have it."

Ruby exaggerated a sigh, "Well, if she says it then it must be true."

"You get the picture." Coco said, her tongue clicking twice. "We'll see you around. C'mon boys! There's a table of food beckoning our names!" She called, chaperoning Velvet in with her on her arm as the other two followed them.

As they walked further in, the small crowd that had been behind them had suddenly grown more, each passing by Team RWBY and greeting their infamous leader, praising or congratulating her on past pranks. The encouragement only caused Ruby's chest to swell in happiness at the compliments, allowing her to joyously greet everyone in return.

Until four familiar boys came into Ruby's sight, causing her to look at them with mild annoyance. "Didn't I tell you four that you could take tonight off?" She sighed, continuing to absently wave at the other students coming in that greeted her.

"Uh. Yeah…" Cardin said nervously, "We just thought, it'd be nice to hang out at the dance. You know, in case you might need us to help fix something."

Ruby shook her head, rolling her eyes with slight amusement. "I'm pretty sure we're fine, right guys?" She asked her team who were all busy talking and greeting to the other students. Regardless, they seemed to have heard her and all nodded in agreement. "But thanks. Just relax and have fun."

"Right… Relax." Cardin said with a hesitant nod, causing Ruby to look at him with curiosity. Taking a closer look, she noticed that the rest of his team didn't seem at ease either if their slight shuffling were any indication.

"What? Don't tell me you guys want a dance." Ruby commented with a slightly disturbed look.

Cardin immediately scowled, "With a shorty like you? No way."

Ruby glared up at him, her foot lifting just slightly in his direction out of habit to stomp on his, until she caught sight of Pyrrha coming up from behind him, with Nora and Ren following. Making her remember exactly where she was.

Cardin seemed to have realized her dilemma and smirked down at her, flashing all of his teeth with a victorious look. "What's wrong shorty?" He rhetorically asked, knowing fully well that Ruby held herself back when other people were watching.

Ruby gave him a pointed look, tapping her foot down and gritting her teeth.

His team seemed to have caught on as they all smirked gathering closer to Ruby as they noticeably hunched over her to exaggerate how much shorter she was, snickering to themselves at finally gaining an upper hand.

Ruby mentally noted to herself to stomp on all of their feet when she had the chance as she glared fiercely down to the floor.

They all laughed, obviously feeling a lot better as they all patted her head to show off their height before continuing their way in.

Pyrrha arched a brow as she watched Team CRDL walk away before smiling pleasantly to the leader of her neighboring team, "Good evening Ruby."

"HELLO~!" Nora sang, dancing toward their neighbors in a short and frilly light pink dress before being halted by Ren, who adorned nice traditional white clothing with green and gold embroidery of Northern Mistral instead of wearing a suit, with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Ruby gave a reluctant smile, feeling conflicted at the sight of them due to the fact that she was a little peeved for being unable to hand her underlings the punishment they deserved for their insults, but felt that she owed the three for reminding her of publicity. "Hi you two. Pyrrha."

Pyrrha smiled happily, "You look wonderful."

Ruby beamed, "Thanks! My sister made it for me, isn't it pretty?!" She asked, taking the chance to show off the dress Cinder made for her by twisting her hip to flare the layers out once again.

Pyrrha giggled into her closed fist out of amusement, "Yes." She agreed easily. "It certainly is."

Ruby smiled even wider, looking over Pyrrha to return a compliment.

Pyrrha seemed to have gone with simplicity, as she wore a red long, form fitting dress with neck straps, and gold armlets, decorated with leaves and vines to accentuate broad shoulders and the muscles in her arms. Taking into account as to how Ruby had to look up just a little more, she glanced down at Pyrrha's feet, noticing the gold heels she wore to match her accessories and the slit at the side of her dress, making her leg expose its' muscles against her skin.

"You look great!" Ruby exclaimed despite wanting nothing more to glare at the heels.

"Why thank you." Pyrrha smiled happily. She noticed the number of students waiting behind her to talk to Ruby, and looked apologetic. "I didn't realize how busy you were, I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I'll talk to you later." Ruby mentioned, causing Pyrrha to nod in agreement as she, Ren, and Nora walked away.

Weiss looked over at her with an arched brow as more people greeted her team leader. "If I didn't know any better, I would have thought that you were the one hosting this dance with how insistent everyone is on greeting and speaking with you." She said, crossing her arms.

Ruby laughed, "It's not my fault I'm so popular."

Weiss scoffed lightly, "I don't understand how, all you do is get up to mischief."

"What? You don't like my pranks?"

"Of course not!" Weiss exclaimed, "I'm the one who is usually on the receiving end."

Ruby looked up in thought, "Now that I think about it, I haven't pulled one over you in a while."

For two weeks to be exact. She hadn't attempted to set one up at all the current week. While last week, she had continued to set up the clear wrap on the door for Weiss to run into before leaving into town, but when they got back together, had stopped Weiss from entering and allowed Yang to enter ahead. Although she didn't run into the wrap face first, it was still funny as she pretended to model her new scarf.

Weiss immediately snapped her head toward Ruby with a wary look, "You wouldn't."

Ruby chuckled, shrugging in turn. "If you insist that much, then I won't, but in return you must offer me another person in your stead." she joked

The condition made Weiss chuckle, "So long as it's not me, then I don't really mind who takes my place."

"Then I'll take Blake in your place." Ruby teased, waggling her brows over in Blake's direction.

"Please don't." Blake commented dryly, before she nudged Weiss and nodded ahead.

Turning back to the entrance, Weiss found the unusual sight of General Ironwood making his way up to them.

"Oh, good evening General." Weiss politely smiled with a curtsey, prompting everyone else, save for Ruby, to follow suit.

Ironwood turned to Weiss with a look of recognition, "You're… Weiss Schnee if I'm not mistaken."

"Yes, it's an honor to make your acquaintance." She nodded politely.

Ironwood raised his hand to halt her, "At ease." He said, folding his hands back behind him as he examined the rest of her team. "Winter mentioned much about you and of your letters. I take that this is your team." His eyes stopped on Ruby though, his eyes narrowing down at her in question.

Ruby noticed very easily, and frowned. "Can I help you?"

"Your ey-"

"Now, now Ironwood," Ozpin interrupted with a tap of his cane. "You shouldn't be bothering the students on a night that is theirs. Surely you don't think students wish to spend the night with us old folk now do you?"

Ironwood stiffened, casting one final glance over to Ruby before nodding. "Of course." He said before leaving.

"Have a wonderful night you girls." Ozpin smiled pleasantly to the team as he followed after.

Glynda came up after, a rather annoyed expression on her face as she heaved a sigh. "It's like babysitting two children. I swear."

"Hi Capt!" Ruby greeted with an excited wave of her hand.

"Good evening Ruby, I'm glad to see you in such high spirits." Glynda smiled before turning to face the rest of the team, "Good work on setting up the dance in such a short amount of time you three. It looks fantastic."

Excited at the praise from Professor Goodwitch, the three smiled bashfully as they all thanked her.

"Now if you excuse me, I must ensure that those two don't cause any more trouble... if they can." Glynda sighed as she walked off.

"Good luck!" Ruby called after, causing Glynda to turn around and give a thankful nod.

Weiss sighed, "You might as well be the host if you're garnering the attention of important guests."

Ruby glanced over to Ironwood in question, before silently huffing away. "They're just another person."

Weiss arched a brow, a question on the tip of her tongue, but was halted before she could pose the query.

"Oh, the three of you are just in time." Yang said, causing the rest of her team to turn.

Upon seeing Emerald, Mercury, and Neo, Ruby beamed and ran up to try to engulf all three of them into a hug. "You guys made it!" She exclaimed, causing Weiss and Blake to pause in shock, glancing to each other and mirroring the other as their eyebrows simultaneously rose to the hairlines.

Meanwhile, Yang's jaw slackened at the sight of Ruby willingly hugging someone. As Yang recalled, Ruby either seemed rather indifferent or uncomfortable when being hugged.

"Of course." Emerald stated, groaning a little at the affectionate display.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world." Mercury smiled as he carefully ruffled Ruby's hair.

Neo palmed her hand, waving it to for a seven shape in front of her. _"Never"_

Ruby stepped back to take a good look at the three and smirked, "I sort of expected it from Neo, but I didn't think the two of you would clean up so nicely." She said, briefly glancing over Neo's pink and brown cocktail dress that had two decorated flowers neatly designed on its' belt. Neo even wore a nice set of brown heels, boosting her to the same height as Ruby.

Mercury adorned a fitted gray vest and pants with a black dress shirt. "I know right? We even sprayed scented water on us." He said, before leaning down so his shoulder would be fairly close to Ruby's height.

Ruby leaned forward to take a whiff, "Oooh! Mercury! How fancy." She said as though scandalized.

Mercury grinned, standing up straighter as he preened under the tone. "You don't look too shabby yourself squirt."

Emerald scoffed with a roll of her eyes as she crossed her arms, slightly exposed by her dark, forest green top with split sleeves that transitioned nicely into an asymmetrical skirt that stopped short at her knees and was long at the back. "I'm sure if it weren't for Cinder, she probably would have shown up in her pajamas."

Ruby huffed, sulking lightly. "I wouldn't have! … Weiss would have stuffed me in a dress."

"Indeed," Weiss affirmed. "No friend of mine will be showing up to a formal event dressed improperly if I have a say in it."

The statement gave Emerald pause, causing her to glance behind Ruby, and at Weiss wondering whom the heiress thought she was to claim that she knew Ruby well enough. Emerald quickly forced a false smile onto her face, laughing lightly. "Yeah well, you wouldn't believe how hard it is to convince her to stand still to model."

"Having her just stay still is difficult enough." Weiss retorted easily with amusement. "Though having her remember courtesy introductions is even more difficult." She said with a pointed look

"Oh!" Donning a sheepish look at the reminder, Ruby quickly introduced everyone to one another.

The corner of Emerald's mouth twitched, though she kept her smile up. "It's so nice to meet you all, but we'll be taking Ruby for a moment so we can… catch up?" She said in question, turning to Ruby with an arched brow.

Neo nodded in agreement with a slight bounce, eager to spend time with Ruby.

Mercury offered his elbow with an exaggerated flourish, "Shall we go little lady?"

Ruby giggled, happily nodding as she reached out to grab his arm, but was suddenly stopped short. She turned her head to her team who were all watching her with interest and sheepishly smiled, "I'll uh… talk to you guys later."

"Don't worry about it." Yang waved her off, "Just make sure you save us all a dance." she teased.

"Yes," Weiss agreed, "It would be quite unfortunate if we could not dance with one another after all the hard work we put into this."

Blake thoughtfully smiled, "In the meantime, we'll be checking in on the guests. So you go on ahead."

"Oh okay. Don't get into too much trouble without me." Ruby smiled, finally taking Mercury's arm as Neo lightly grabbed her shoulders to push her in.

The moment they were all out of earshot, Mercury leaned over with a small smirk. "Your new friends seem like quite the handful."

"They seem annoying. Especially that heiress." Emerald commented with gritted teeth. "I don't know how you stand to hang around them all the time."

Ruby laughed nervously, "I'm fine." She said feeling a heavy weight on her shoulders.

She couldn't agree with them, because she didn't believe it to be true, despite the fact she might have thought otherwise earlier during the year. However, she didn't want to disagree with them either lest she raise suspicion.

Neo seemed to have sensed Ruby's turmoil, as the four stopped at a clear area on the mezzanine, gathering around one another in a semi circle, _"Don't be sad. I'll give you something to cheer you up."_ She signed, thinking Ruby was merely sharing her annoyance against her team.

Ruby inclined her head with curiosity, having already let go of Mercury's arm.

Neo merely grinned as she sharply nudged Mercury, gesturing toward Ruby with her head.

Mercury sighed, raising an arm up and cocking his hip out toward Neo. The action prompted the petite girl to lean over and dig through his pocket before fishing out a small earpiece with a look of triumph. She turned to Ruby, happily presenting the device in her palm as she signed with her free hand, forming a "C" and tapping her shoulder of the same side and then pointing to the device.

" _Cinder is on here."_

Ruby immediately became excited, snatching the earpiece out of Neo's hand and placing it in her ear, turning the communication channel and microphone on.

A light chuckle came on the line as Cinder's voice came through, "I'm glad you could join us Ruby."

"Cinder!" Ruby exclaimed, "When are you coming in? I want to dance with you." She nearly whined with a slight pout.

An amused hum was heard, "I'm not sure." Cinder said, "It all depends on how the dance is looking so far."

Mercury smirked, as they all glanced down on the student body. "Everyone looks accounted for. If a little bored." He noted staring at the few people on the dance floor as most seemed to be indulging themselves in food or idle chatter, not yet excited or courageous enough to start moving to the rhythm of the music.

"Ruby?" Cinder asked her sister for confirmation, knowing fully well that Ruby had been at the door greeting everyone who entered the ballroom.

Ruby gave a jaunty salute despite her sister not being present. "Everyone is all nice and-" Ruby paused, noticing a familiar figure exiting out onto the veranda, and frowned. "Um… not accounted for."

Emerald had noticed as well, and clarified. "Someone just stepped out."

"Then do something about it." Cinder ordered. "We can't afford to have anyone notice me."

Mercury sighed, scratching his head in frustration. "Easier said than done, we don't exactly know anyone here."

"I'll go." Ruby volunteered, with a raised hand.

There was silence as everyone waited for Cinder's approval, "That would be best." She finally settled. "Ruby knows almost the entire student body and she's been playing host, so it would be less suspicious for her to check in on them."

Ruby nodded in agreement as she began stepping away while waving to Mercury, Emerald, and Neo with an apologetic look, "I'll try to distract everyone too."

"I'm counting on you dearest sister." Cinder teased.

"Roger that older sister! Over and out!" Ruby playfully said, muting her side of the channel to avoid clogging it with her conversation, a little before she reached the door

She paused for a moment though, taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling it out before stepping onto to Veranda where the cold night air greeted her. "Pyrrha?" She called out as the other had her back turned toward the door as she overlooked the garden below the railing.

Upon hearing her name, Pyrrha turned around in surprise. "Oh, hello again Ruby." She smiled.

"What are you doing out here and not with the rest of your team?" Ruby asked with curiosity, stepping closer to Pyrrha, only stopping by the railing with a few feet of space between the two.

"Well, I came here with Ren and Nora," Pyrrha explained with a polite smile. "However, after spending some time with them, I began feeling a little…" She trailed off.

Ruby understood immediately and laughed, "Like a third wheel?"

Pyrrha nodded.

"Well, what happened to Jaune?" Ruby inquired.

"He didn't come." Pyrrha said, "Neptune invited him to go out and eat in town with the rest of his team and he accepted it."

Confused, Ruby couldn't help but to ask, "Since when did those guys become friends?"

Pyrrha laughed, "If you would recall lunch on our first sparring day, Sun and Neptune had wished to spend some time with our teams. However, shortly after you and I left, Nora, Ren, and the rest of your team followed suit, leaving Jaune by himself at the table. Sun and Neptune didn't seem to mind and they've been in contact since then." Pyrrha paused, "Although, if I'm not mistaken, he seems to be talking to Neptune the most."

"It almost sounds like he ditched you." Ruby pointed out.

"I suppose it looks that way." Pyrrha started, "But I sincerely hope he has fun. After all, that is what tonight is supposed to be about right?" She asked

Ruby frowned, her expression softening. "Then why aren't you having fun with everyone else?" She asked, "You don't have to stick around Ren and Nora, you could talk to other people. Mingle around or you could even hang with my team if you don't feel comfortable with others."

Pyrrha suddenly looked nervous, raising an arm across her midsection as she lightly rubbed her other arm, and looked away from Ruby, back out into the garden. "Well, when you're a consecutive tournament winner like me, no one ever seems comfortable talking to you."

Ruby felt conflicted, not knowing what to do as she sensed Pyrrha's discomfort and how difficult it was for her to bring the subject up. All Ruby could offer was to stay silent, and listen despite her head telling her to change the subject right then and there.

But Ruby didn't want to. She just… knew and felt that Pyrrha needed this, because this was the first time she was so willing to open a conversation about herself instead of focusing it on her company.

"I suppose that it is understandable," Pyrrha continued, "That others become intimidated by me. After all, the first time I won a tournament was when I was just two years younger than you are now. A mere 13 years old."

"The vast majority of fighters enrolled in the tournament are of seventeen years of age to twenty-one, it is only reasonable to be… amazed when one sees a thirteen year old best those older, more experienced than her." Pyrrha tried to reason, "And when that thirteen year old continues obtaining victory in the tournament for the following years, it's only… natural that everyone puts her up on a pedestal."

"It starts with interviews, then requests for you to become a mascot on a cereal that has far too much sugar in it. Then, next thing you know, you're placed so highly above everyone else, that's all others see. The pedestal that you're placed on." Pyrrha sadly confessed, "Everyone thinks that I'm so much better than them, that they have difficulty just, talking to me as a normal peer."

She paused, allowing silence to stretch in the air for a minute as she stared down at the floor. "I guess… That's why, despite how much I admire you, I'm also… envious of you."

Baffled, Ruby donned a look of perplexity as she pointed to herself. "Me? Why?"

Pyrrha chuckled, looking ashamed at her confession. "Why wouldn't I be? You- despite how well you do, despite how much everyone seems to look up to you… everyone is still so willing to engage in conversation with you. As though you're just, another student to them. That you're just like everyone else and I can't understand how it is that you are able to do this so effortlessly while I'm-"

Hearing enough, Ruby interrupted Pyrrha's rant before she could continue on, with a soft voice. "Talking to me." Ruby finished for her.

Shocked, Pyrrha tore her gaze from the ground and towards Ruby's eyes with confusion.

The intense gaze from those forest green eyes caused Ruby to shift uncomfortably, like all the other times when Pyrrha gave her full attention to her before she could continue on. "I-I mean… You're talking to me right now, and you don't have a problem with it."

"But, you're different." Pyrrha exclaimed, "You're-"

"Just like everyone else." Ruby finished once again with a small smile. "You said so yourself."

"I-"

"And not just me, but you can talk to my team, your team…" Ruby began listing, "Just the other day you talked to my… friends from Haven. If you count them all together, that's a total of eleven people you're able to talk to. If you can talk to that many without too many problems, then you can talk to anyone you want to. But, you don't have to if you don't feel comfortable with it. That's normal though! You can just… take it one step at a time." Ruby pointed out with a smile.

Pyrrha stared at Ruby in disbelief, her eyes seemingly glowing brighter at the revelation as she gave a slow nod. "One step at a time…" She repeated lowly to herself.

Ruby smiled, all too happy to help Pyrrha out as she was content to stand before her.

"Are you almost ready Ruby?" Cinder asked over the com channel.

The sound of her sister's voice suddenly pulled Ruby out of her silence, as her smile dropped, her body taking in the cold air that she hadn't felt before, remembering that she wasn't out here to comfort Pyrrha.

"She's not in yet." Mercury answered in her stead.

Ruby began to lightly sweat, feeling the pressure to make haste weigh down on the forefront of her mind. "W-We can start by going back in and dancing with everyone."

The statement alarmed Pyrrha as she took a step back. "Oh, I believe I will have to pass on that."

"But… Why?" Ruby asked.

Pyrrha looked down at Ruby with a sad smile as she lightly hugged herself, as though to keep herself warm from the cold. "When you're as tall as I am, no one wants to dance with you."

"I'll dance with you." Ruby blurted out before she realized it.

Pyrrha's eyes widened in shock as she stared at Ruby, not believing what she heard.

Ruby didn't have time to lament over what she had just said, and instead tried to roll with the idea. "Come on!" Ruby smiled, offering her hand out for Pyrrha to take. "Don't you want to dance?"

"...Okay." Pyrrha agreed shyly, slowly reaching out to grab the offered hand with a smile.

Quickly, Ruby took hold of Pyrrha's hand and began tugging the taller girl back into the ballroom.

Ruby stopped pulling on Pyrrha, stopping in the middle of a dance floor as she turned to face the other with a small knowing smirk just as a song ended, already knowing the incoming songs thanks to her helping Yang and the DJ set up the playlist.

Pyrrha arched a brow in question upon noticing the mischievous smile on her dance partner's face. "What are you up to?" She asked

Ruby merely smiled, wiping her hands on her dress in hopes to rid of her discomfort at her next action. "You'll see." She said as smooth, acoustics of a Vacuon song began, cueing Ruby to gently place a closed, polite hand on Pyrrha's waist, prompting the other to rest her own closed hand on Ruby's shoulder of the same side as the two barely pressed their palms of their free hands in front of the other with an inch of space, careful not to intertwine them in an attempt to stay courteous of boundaries.

Upon hearing the themed song, Pyrrha nervously smiled, staring at their feet as Ruby began leading them. "I must confess that I do not know how to Tango." she paused, "Or at all."

Ruby gave a small smile, "It's easier than it looks. Here, I'll help and we can take it one step at a time." She said as she softly began leading her dance partner through the steps. "Slow, slow. Quick - quick, slow. Quick - quick, slow." She instructed, allowing Pyrrha to easily, but awkwardly follow her movements.

A smile began to stretch across Pyrrha's features as she gained the courage to look away from their feet and up at Ruby. "I think I have it." She whispered in excitement, as if there were no music playing loudly.

Ruby beamed at the statement, "That's great! I knew you could do it."

The praise and confidence that Ruby sent her way warmed Pyrrha's heart, and made her lightly duck her head in happiness. "Thank you." She said, though at that moment, accidentally had a misstep that caused her heel to pinch down on Ruby's toes.

"Ouch!" Ruby winced, stopping mid-step.

"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha apologized, embarrassed at her mistake.

"It's fine." Ruby assured, "It happens. I used to step on my… uncle's feet all the time." She said, thinking the times Roman used to teach her how to tango.

Pyrrha gave a small smile, her confidence coming back at the reassurance, though frowned in concern. "How's your foot?"

"It's fine." Ruby nodded, starting their dance once again.

"Are you certain?" Pyrrha asked, "Perhaps it's best if we stop." She said, her hand slipping from Ruby's shoulder to be pulled away

Ruby suddenly stopped her though, and before she realized it or could wonder why, she repositioned Pyrrha's hand to her waist instead. "It's fine." She reassured, "But maybe you'll feel better if you lead." She smiled encouragingly as she placed her right hand on Pyrrha's shoulder and grasped the other's hand with her left.

Feeling nervous once again, Pyrrha began to lead them, picking up their awkward tango once more. Tentatively, she glanced up at Ruby, who merely reassured her by squeezing her hand.

Renewed with a sense of confidence, Pyrrha continued leading them, slowly but surely gaining fluidity as they continued, with each step.

"See? You've got it!" Ruby said with enthusiasm when the song ended, transitioning into another song that began with a more, uppity beat.

A joyful, excited smile overtook Pyrrha as she was filled with pride for getting through a dance. She couldn't help, but to grab Ruby, and lift her in a spin with a cheer. "Thank you so much Ruby!" She claimed, eliciting the attention of others.

Ruby turned red in embarrassment at being lifted by someone other than her family, but couldn't hold it against Pyrrha's enthusiasm and sincerity. "Y-You're welcome."

Pyrrha merrily laughed, setting Ruby back down onto the floor as she giddily attempted to start them in another dance.

But paused upon noticing Ruby grasp both hands with a small smile instead. Her ears registered the steady sound of people clapping to the rhythm as Ruby began bouncing in each step.

She let go of one of Pyrrha's hands, keeping hold onto her right as Ruby began leading her into a new dance, tugging her along to skip sideways.

Seeing Ruby's gleeful smile, Pyrrha couldn't but to follow along in her skipping around as they cleared the dance floor by circling the entire area. By then, Ruby nodded her head, gesturing for Pyrrha to continue on as she broke the chain, and skipped over to Yang.

Her teammate gave a look that crossed between that of amusement and curiosity as Ruby danced up to her, only to yelp as she was grabbed by the arm and pulled in. Before they could make it far though, she grabbed hold of Weiss (who was attempting to teach Blake how to waltz, though unsuccessfully if the bruises on her feet were anything to go by) and dragged them along with her leader.

Ruby continued tugging them into the space, linking Yang's arm to Pyrrha's before dancing away again, this time toward Nora.

Said girl had an eager smile on her face as she offered her arm to allow Ruby to drag her onto the dance floor with a loud giggle, but not before she grabbed onto Ren's to pull him along for the ride.

In a short amount of time, Ruby had managed to pull in Team CFVY, CRDL, and Penny, along with other teams to form a large circle dance with another smaller one on the inside, everyone laughing with glee.

Only to break it as she tugged on Pyrrha for the two to link their arms, causing everyone else to follow suit and partner up with the person next to them, and continue dancing in circle formation as each couple spun.

Every so often, the crowd would shout joyously in time with the song, causing partners to split up and link arms with the next person as they continued dancing.

From up above, Emerald, Mercury, and Neo noted how Ruby had included all the students into the dance, and smiled in amusement, recognizing exactly what she had done.

"It appears all the dancers have partners." Emerald said through the com channel, her statement emphasized by the rowdy laughter and whoops of holler filling the air

"How long do I have?" Cinder asked.

"You should be back by midnight to be safe." Mercury said as he noted there being just a little over 30 minutes left until then.

"I'll keep my eye on the clock." Cinder replied. "Ensure that my little sister doesn't get into… too much trouble."

Mercury glanced down onto the dance floor scanning the floor, trying to find where Ruby may be, though one quick look at Neo who was glaring daggers at a particular area, told him where to find the squirt.

Following Neo's line of sight, he found Ruby linked and in arm with Yang with a large smile on her face that had briefly turned into a frown for a split second.

She probably wanted to pout at her sister's statement.

"We will." Emerald answered, just when Ruby squealed in laughter as Yang twirled her out and back into her arms, hugging her at her shoulders from behind.

The scene made Neo's scowl deepen as she gripped onto the railing, nearly sulking for a few minutes as the circle slowly dissipated. (But not before Ruby had managed to hook her arm with every member of Team CRDL, and took advantage of the opportunity to stomp on all of their feet as much as she could)

Ruby, her team, and Pyrrha had slowly migrated away for a quick break at the side, procuring a table for Blake and Weiss to sit at. Though, Ruby didn't look like she was done with having fun as she seemed like she had convinced Pyrrha and Yang to continue dancing with her.

The sight of Yang happily holding both of Ruby's hands as they jumped around in a circle as Pyrrha giggled, watching from the side and awaiting her turn, seemed to have caused Neo to snap, finally turning toward Mercury and Emerald. She fiercely began signing, her hands blurring in their movement and causing the two to recoil away.

"Whoa, slow down Neo." Mercury said, holding his hand up as a gesture of peace. "We can't understand you when you sign that fast."

Not having the patience to sign or to take out her scroll to type, Neo merely grabbed Mercury by his arm and pulled him away, leaving Emerald no choice but to follow after.

The three walked towards Ruby, making their way through the crowded dance floor. Though had to suddenly pause as they noticed someone heading toward the door.

"A party guest is leaving." Emerald whispered

A sigh was heard as Cinder asked with minor annoyance, "Who is it?"

Emerald peeked over to the entrance, using Mercury as her cover. "Ironwood."

"Should we intervene?" Mercury asked, holding Neo back from straying further into the crowd.

Cinder hummed, "No. We have what we need." She said.

Emerald and Mercury sighed with relief as they continued allowing Neo to lead them toward Ruby, and from the look on her face; she must have heard her sister's success.

"Where did you learn to dance?" Pyrrha asked with a light chuckle as Ruby spun back toward her.

"My family taught me." Ruby smiled, stepping in time with Pyrrha in their somewhat silly jig.

"Do you know any other dances?" Pyrrha inquired

"Sure." Ruby nodded.

Dancing used to be an activity that everyone at home use to participate in frequently when she was younger. Her sister knew how to waltz for some reason, and had led many dances with Ruby standing on her feet.

Roman knew many Vacuon ballroom dances like the Tango, and used to pull Ruby into one for fun as he exaggerated their movements, extending their arms out as far as they could while leaning his head back to show her how posh he could be.

Neo learned a bit of ballet, and stage dances saying that it helped her keep balance for fighting. Though Ruby had learned that the only reason both Roman and Neo learned formal dancing and performance dancing was to crash upper class balls.

Mercury knew some interesting, northern Mistralian dances. Though upon finding out that he learned because the name "Dragon Dance" sounded cool, Ruby immediately began making fun of him.

Emerald didn't seem to find any reason for dancing, though knew how to Jive and Swing dance.

Both Mercury and Emerald seemed to learn how to dance during their brief trip to Mistral when they stayed with a rather rowdy village that held a close knit community. Dancing was a past time there, and there were so many forms that were explored during their celebrations.

It was there that Ruby learned how to circle dance, and since then, she loved dancing in groups.

"I even know how to Waltz!" She claimed with a proud smile.

Pyrrha smiled, happy to see Ruby in such a good mood and mentally noted to thank Nora later for convincing her to come to the dance.

She allowed Ruby to spin away, handing her back toward Yang, though paused upon noticing how quickly Ruby was stopped.

Looking up, she found Neo intercepting Ruby with a grasp on her hand, while Mercury and Emerald stood behind her.

"Mind if we… take Ruby for the remainder of the dance?" Mercury asked.

"Guys!" Ruby exclaimed, pulling Neo in for a hug.

Neo seemed to relax with the gesture, though took the opportunity to throw a glare at Yang as she gave Ruby a light squeeze, eliciting a look of confusion to emerge onto Yang..

"Oh… uh… I suppose not… If Ruby doesn't mind." Pyrrha said, a little put off at the sudden interruption

"Of course not!" Ruby stated with good cheer, pulling away from Neo as she beamed up at Mercury and Emerald

At her agreement, Neo immediately began pulling Ruby away, causing her to stumble over her feet as she waved good-bye to her team and Pyrrha.

Who could only watch with a dower mood as Ruby disappeared into the crowd with the team from Haven, leaving them no choice but to rest at the table, and continue chatting without her.

"You looked like you were having fun." Emerald said with a grumble.

"What? Jealous?" Ruby teased, causing Emerald to roll her eyes "But it was fun to dance like that again! I usually don't get the chance unless Cinder gives everyone the day off… Or if I'm with Adam's faction."

"I hope that doesn't mean you'll be ditching us for him every time you want a dance." Mercury said as he and Emerald took up position to dance.

"Psh! No way!" Ruby said with a wave of a hand before grabbing hold of Neo and hung her head back to look at the ceiling. "Why would I when I have you guys?" She asked in a posh voice, exaggerating her dance like Roman did so often.

Neo let out a silent giggle before adopting the same posture, allowing Ruby to lead them in a waltz with long, dramatic strides.

Mercury snorted at the sight of the two, bending over and accidentally knocking his head onto the top of Emerald's.

"OW! That hurt you fucker!" Emerald complained, letting go of Mercury to smack him on his chest hard.

"Ow! What the hell?" Mercury winced, turning away and leaning over to shelter his chest while lightly cradling his head.

"Serves you right!" Emerald stated, rubbing her head.

Mercury sulked, causing Ruby to giggle as she let go of Neo's hand and grab onto his arm. "Cheer up Mercury!" She said, taking hold of his hands as she bounced around him.

"If you hug me, then I will." Mercury said, feigning hurt.

The other three rolled their eyes, though Ruby obliged in his request to humor him.

The moment she did though, Mercury grinned, grabbing hold of her before spinning her around and lifting her into the air.

Ruby screeched in delight as she clung onto him tightly to ensure she didn't fly off, giggling joyfully.

"Mercury! Put her down before you end up throwing her! Again." Emerald firmly demanded.

"Aw, but she's having so much fun." Mercury said, though slowed down in his spin for Ruby's feet to touch the floor once more.

Still feeling giddy, but dizzy from the movement, Ruby removed herself from Mercury's arm with a giggle as she stumbled backwards.

"Let's see her have fun trying to remove herself from the wall." Emerald retorted, catching Ruby with a gentle hold.

"That would be fine!" Ruby exclaimed, allowing Emerald to take a hand and lift it above her head to guide her in a counter spin to right her senses. "I could leave an imprint of myself on the building." She nodded as she stopped.

Emerald rolled her eyes, both their hands clasped together as they swung it back and forth in between them, Ruby bouncing on her heels in excitement. "It wouldn't last long because they'd have to fix it dummy."

"Might I cut in?" Cinder asked from the side, her black, elbow length gloved hand resting on a cocked out hip.

"Cinder!" Ruby jumped in excitement, letting go of Emerald as she crashed into her sister, her face getting lightly scratched from the rough fabric of Cinder's sparkling dress.

"Of course not." Emerald deadpanned, answering Cinder regardless as Ruby looked up at her sister

"How did it go? Did you whoop butt?" She asked.

Cinder chuckled in amusement, starting a small sway for the two to dance. "A few." She answered.

Ruby beamed in pride at her sister, though it quickly turned into an inquisitive frown. "What about Ironwood?"

Cinder hummed, "The general seemed to have seen me at the very end, but not in time to prevent me from planting the virus." She smirked.

Ruby nearly squealed in excitement, burrowing herself deeper into her sister's arms. "My sister is the coolest infiltrator."

Cinder smiled, "It wouldn't have been successful without you Ruby." She said, eliciting her sister to beam up widely at her.

"So, what do we do now?" Mercury inquired.

Cinder didn't take her eyes off Ruby, as she spun her towards Neo. "For now, let us just enjoy the rest of the night."

Ruby giddily bounced in excitement, as the four circled around her and continued taking turns to dance with her.

* * *

 


	16. Evaluation

 

Weiss furrowed her eyebrows in concentration, pointing her rapier toward the ground before her to shape a summoning glyph. Her sister's words echoed through her mind, urging her to recall her fallen foes in order to bring them forth to aid her in battle.

Slowly, the ghost of a Beowulf towering over her began to form.

She gritted her teeth as she put more effort into focusing on its' details, trying her best to allow the memory of it to emerge, and how her father had forced her to fight it in order to practice.

Anger suddenly emerged as she let out a yell of frustration, causing the glyph to disappear at her ire and along with it, the Grimm.

A hum from the side turned her attention away from her spot, causing her to look at her leader as she took in heavy breaths.

"6 minutes, 24 seconds." Ruby noted, looking at the stopwatch on her scroll. "You held your glyph up for a whole 14 seconds longer than last time Weiss! That's really great!" She exclaimed in awe, even going so far as giving applause.

Weiss smiled in pride, her chest lightly heaving as she brushed her hair away from the sweat on her brow. "And exactly how quickly was I able to procure my summon?"

Ruby beamed, lifting her chin up as she relayed her findings, "1 minute and 6 seconds. 3 seconds faster than before! That's really amazing Weiss, you've made such an improvement in just two weeks!"

Weiss's smile widened at the praise, standing just a little taller despite her exhaustion. "Thank you Ruby."

Her leader merely smiled, swiping through more information on her scroll to relay to Weiss, "You were even able to summon an extra time dilation glyph, so I think we can officially call today... a success!" She said, raising her finger up into the air as though presenting a fact.

Weiss laughed, feeling much better.

Ruby paused, eyeing the time on her scroll. "We should probably get some sleep in, just in case we have to leave for our mission immediately."

Weiss nodded, prompting the two to grab their bags and leave the training room, turning the lights off.

Comfortable silence stretched between the two as they trekked their way back to their dorm room. Allowing Weiss to begin recounting the events of her training.

Since the first years were picking their mission tomorrow and there was no way of knowing when they'll depart, Ruby suggested that they take it a little easier that day by offering that they sort of play tag instead of spar.

Weiss initially believed Ruby was joking at first, but then her leader began listing the advantages and how Weiss would benefit from it.

Both would be armed with a water based marker, and could only use their semblances. Weiss had initially pointed out that Ruby had the upperhand in the match due to the fact that she had a Speed semblance. Ruby countered with the idea of that being the challenge. Weiss had all her glyphs at her disposal, it was up to her to decide on how to use them to her advantage.

Weiss thought it to be childish, but was quickly proven wrong when Ruby suggested they try it out first to see how she felt about it.

In the end, Weiss was forced and pushed to activate her glyphs, strategize, and react faster than when they sparred, simply to just avoid Ruby from drawing a mark on her. Of course, Ruby had won, but Weiss was surprised to find that she didn't feel like she had lost.

It was fun, and she had laughed hard when the two looked in the mirror as Ruby had drawn whiskers, a sort of beard, and dramatically thick, angry eyebrows on Weiss, while Weiss managed to draw an uneven mustache and smudged a line under Ruby's eye. Causing her to start acting like she was crying.

However, the good mood had not carried over after washing their faces, to her summoning. She allowed a sigh to escape, peeved at her inability to make a complete success.

"What's wrong?" Ruby asked with concern.

The question elicited a small quirk of a smile from Weiss. She was happy to find that her partner and she have been getting on better terms, enough so that Ruby would actually pose a query pertaining to Weiss's well-being. However, it wasn't enough to lift her spirits as she frowned. "I don't understand what it is that I'm doing wrong." She said, "Everyone in my family has been able to summon… _something_ within weeks after obtaining their time dilation glyphs. It's been half a year since I was able to do so, and yet I still can not summon a thing!"

Ruby contemplated on the statement, chewing on the inside of her cheek. "I don't think you're doing anything wrong." She thoughtfully said, "Maybe, your family's method is wrong for you."

Weiss blanched at the idea, a retort of the impossibility of the fact at the tip of her tongue, but paused when she saw her leader's expression.

"That's not a bad thing Weiss, it just means you're different from them." Ruby softly said. "So maybe, there's a different way for you to summon than them."

Weiss's mouth shut, her teeth clicking at the action as she allowed the words to sink into her mind.

Was it possible?

She couldn't think about it much though, as Ruby halted in her steps at a hallway crossing and caused Weiss to stop as well.

It didn't take long for Weiss to realize what Ruby wanted to do, as she had been doing so most frequently the past week.

"Oh. Are you going to spend the night with your friends from Haven again?" Weiss asked, already knowing the answer with a bit of dismay.

Ruby nodded with a sheepish smile. "Yeah."

Weiss allowed a helpless sigh to escape. "Alright then. I simply ask that you stop by the dorm room to accompany us into the assembly hall early tomorrow morning."

Ruby nodded, agreeing to Weiss's terms. "Night Weiss!" She said with a wave before she turned and headed in the other direction.

"... Have a good night." Weiss said.

The moment she was out of sight, Ruby heaved a sigh of fatigue. Her shoulders sagged as she slowed down, her footsteps heavy as she treaded her way toward the dorm her sister was staying in. Thoughts about Weiss's training plagued her, making her wonder what she was doing.

She shook her head to stop her mind from working. It was something to ponder for another day.

Rubbing her weary eyes, she wanted nothing more than to collapse in bed and sleep.

A long yawn overcame her, forcing her to open her mouth wide and her eyes to close. At the end of it, she began nodding off, her feet running on autopilot as she continued making her way to the dorm room.

Upon arrival, she lifted her hand to softly knock on the door, which was immediately answered by a scowling Emerald. "You're late."

Ruby nodded tiredly, rubbing her eyes once again. "I know. 'm sorry." She mumbled as she leaned forward and hugged Emerald. Ruby then lifted her leg, climbing up the taller girl who grunted.

"What are you doing? Get off me." Emerald complained, though brought her hands under Ruby's legs to keep her steady.

"Carry me." Ruby softly demanded

Emerald rolled her eyes with a sigh, "Whatever." She said, closing the door and walking back in, carrying the younger girl in her arms.

"Good evening Ruby." Cinder smiled, looking up from her scroll after she placed it down.

Ruby merely grunted a reply, causing her sister to furrow her brows in concern, as she didn't let go of Emerald.

"Ruby?" Cinder called

"I'm awake." Ruby mumbled, burying herself further into Emerald's neck as she was carried over to Cinder. She could feel Emerald leaning down, and hands that were much warmer than the average person's sliding over her back. She grumbled a bit, but leaned away from Emerald, letting go of her with one hand to be passed over to her sister.

When she was able to, she immediately latched onto Cinder. Her warm body comforted Ruby against the otherwise cold air brought on by the changing season.

"Are you tired?" Cinder asked as Emerald went back to her bed and plopped down to sit.

"No." Ruby denied, though her statement was countered as she rubbed her eyes to the best of her ability without letting go of her sister.

She felt Cinder lightly chuckle, "Do you think you can stay awake for a while longer so we can discuss the plan for your mission?"

Another grumble, though this time Ruby shuffled off of her sister to sit next to her and lean on her shoulder instead.

Cinder hummed in amusement, reaching over to brush away stray strands of hair away from her sister's face before she grabbed her scroll.

Neo pouted, tapping her hands together to get everyone's attention before signing furiously towards Cinder as Ruby lazily looked toward her to translate.

"I don't understand why Ruby has to leave again. Can't we just send someone else?"

"As much as I agree with you," Cinder calmly said as she began to swipe through the list of missions available to first years on her scroll, information that was obtained due to the virus that she had planted during the school dance that allowed her to access through any database it reached. "Sending Ruby is unfortunately not only practical, but necessary."

Ruby nodded, her eyes already half closed. "I'll make sure it goes by successfully. You'll see." She mumbled.

"I know you will." Cinder smiled, rubbing her sister's back encouragingly as Emerald looked over at her skeptically.

Seeing Ruby in her current state didn't exactly invoke confidence.

"Thankfully, our little friend here has been of much assistance by allowing Ruby to see the available covers for her mission." Cinder continued, looking back down at her scroll.

Mercury scowled, "It better be, I had to get prosthetics for it." He said, referencing the mission he was dragged on years back after moving in with everyone.

The person they had gone after was a prestigious hacker, well known in underground connections. The hacker had developed the software that Cinder was using to infiltrate databases by unknowing persons. Due to it being a careful and precise mission, the three had difficulty subduing the person, and in the end, Mercury had become gravely injured.

"And we will ensure that it is put to it's worth and more." Cinder said, "Right now, we're using it to ensure that my dearest sister can get close to the area Adam is in over at the North-West quadrant outside the kingdom, so she can check in on his… progress with capturing Grimm."

"This wouldn't be a problem if Adam could just stay in touch and reported properly." Emerald commented with a bit of annoyance.

Cinder lightly huffed in agreement with a small frown, "Indeed. Unfortunately, you are no doubt aware of how he is. While he agrees and is loyal to our cause, he isn't… receptive to some of our… methods of punishments. He avoids speaking to us when he can because of it." She said, pausing to give a small hug to her sister. "However, he does usually seem more inclined to communicate with us after seeing Ruby. Which is what I hope will happen."

"Is 'cause he likes me." Ruby mumbled

Cinder smiled, giving her sister a light squeeze. "Yes, because he approves of your methods of punishment."

"It's not even a punishment." Emerald pointed out, though was nudged sharply by both Neo and Mercury.

Ruby lazily smiled in pride, "It works. You should consider it."

Cinder arched a brow, shifting herself to sit behind Ruby to hug her from behind and rest her head on top. "I must confess that I agree with Emerald dearest sister, having those under you be punished by assigning mere chores is hardly suitable for failure. Perhaps _you_ should be the one to reconsider."

Granted, Cinder had only allowed Ruby to take full control over a small squad of a dozen or less a handful of times and there had only been two instances where someone made a mistake. Both times, Adam happened to be present (the only one to show up from his faction) in order to discuss plans with Cinder, and he was curious to see what Ruby would do, so only kept a watchful eye. Cinder and everyone else tried to advise Ruby on suitable punishments, (a responsibility Ruby had taken upon herself under the claim that she was the leader) but Ruby had settled on having that person do chores around the base. Which were already responsibilities that were otherwise filled by various other members. Everyone tried to telling her that it wasn't enough, which she seemed to understand at the time, so stated that the person would not get desserts or snacks for a whole week.

(Ruby's pageant for strong-arming someone(s) to do her bidding didn't seem to develop until recent years. However, she had only done so twice as well.)

It was rather stressful for them, but Adam had been highly entertained, which was an unusual sight. Since then, he had taken a liking to Ruby, greeting her when he would only grunt in recognition to everyone else, talking to her about other topics besides work, and entertaining her when needed. After a while, it seemed to have evolved to simply talking to her only, avoiding communication with everyone else if he could, and randomly popping by just to talk to her when she was in.

Unfortunately, it seemed as though Ruby was due for a visit to Adam if his lack of replies were anything to go by.

"Don't wanna." Ruby drawled, leaning back into her sister, hugging the arms wrapped around her with her eyes closing.

"Ruby," Cinder called, lightly shaking her. "You need to stay awake for just a little longer and look at the list of missions in the area." She said, extracting an arm to tap Ruby's head with the scroll. As much as she would like her sister to sleep, Cinder knew that it was necessary for Ruby to remember as much as she could in order to accommodate her team's wishes of what they would like to do while ensuring they go to where Ruby was needed.

Ruby grunted in minor annoyance, sitting back up as she glared at the list with half lidded eyes.

The sight once again caused Emerald to look skeptically at Ruby, "Is she _really_ going to be okay?"

"She's just tired right now. She has been having rough days as of recent." Cinder cooed as she entertained herself by playing with Ruby's hair. "All to ensure that no one suspects her of anything and that everyone trusts her."

Ruby didn't bother agreeing with Cinder as a small prick allowed itself to be felt in Ruby's chest, but due to her exhaustion, her mind didn't think much of it.

Still wary, Emerald arched a brow at Ruby, "How are you going to get your team to go there?"

"We'll take care of that." Cinder answered, "We just… need to make it so Ruby's team is rejected on all other missions except for the ones in the area. It's her job to… encourage her team in that direction though, that's why she needs to remember the types of missions available."

"How are you going to give your team and huntsman the slip then?" Mercury asked

Ruby shrugged half-heartedly, too lazy to think of an idea, "I'll find a way." She paused, a thought coming across her mind as she looked up at Cinder in curiousity. "What are you guys going to do?"

"We'll be staying here at Beacon." Cinder answered, "Our friend is obtaining quite a bit of information, spreading as far as to student files at the other schools… and plans about the Vytal festival."

Ruby hummed as her eyes began closing once more, her head slowly falling in sleepiness, "Well, since you're staying, I'll have Cardin stay in case you guys need help."

Cinder smirked, "That would be much appreciated."

Ruby grunted in confirmation, causing Cinder to look down in confusion.

"And, she's out." Mercury said with a snicker.

Cinder sighed in amusement, shaking her sister once again.

"Hrm?" Ruby mumbled.

"You need to change into your pajamas dearest sister."

"I don't wanna." Ruby whined.

"You will if you want to sleep." Cinder said, pinching Ruby's cheek while poking her at the side

At that, Ruby grumbled in annoyance, getting up and dragging herself over to the wardrobe to pull out her sleepwear and into the bathroom to change.

Cinder watched her with amusement before looking back down to her scroll.

"Are you _sure_ she's going to be okay?" Emerald asked again. "Don't you think that maybe we should… go with her?"

Neo eagerly nodded at the suggestion, looking at Cinder with hopeful eyes.

"She'll be fine." Cinder assured, causing Neo to deflate. "Besides, we need to stay here and keep an eye on Ironwood." she smirked

* * *

"They were here Ozpin."

A weary sigh escaped from Ozpin's mouth as he leaned forward to rest his head in his hands.

"Those _terrorists_ were here!" Ironwood yelled with gritted teeth, snarling at the word. "And you have yet to do anything about it?!" He demanded, slamming his hands onto Ozpin's desks

"What would you have him do James?" Glynda intervened, feeling a headache come in and forcing her to massage her brow. "Go on a witch hunt? Implement extreme vetting measures on those who enter through the campus and CCT tower?"

"For starters, yes!" Ironwood claimed.

"You know I can't do that." Ozpin sighed, dragging his hands down his face. "That would provoke outrage."

"What it would do is smoke out those rebels!" Ironwood said with a stern finger pointed at the headmaster.

"It would cause the people unnecessary fear and confusion!" Ozpin stated as he stood up, "They will ask questions that we don't know the answer to, because all we know is that they steal dust shipments. Nothing more. For what the cost could be, they could merely be taking action against the Schnee Company. So until we learn more about this group, then we need to be cautious and keep it under covers."

Ironwood frowned, begrudgingly agreeing with his old friend's advisement and took a deep breath to calm himself. "Fine."

Glynda allowed herself a small sigh of relief as the tension in her head loosened.

"And, what about the girl?" Ironwood asked

"What girl?" Ozpin countered, causing Glynda's headache to return once again.

"The one with silver eyes." Ironwood said

"Ah." Ozpin breathed, slowly sitting back down in his chair, folding his hands on top of his desk. "Ruby Fall."

Ironwood paused, warily taking in Ozpin's demeanor before pressing the question on his mind. "Is she… the girl that Qrow is looking for?"

"Who knows?" Ozpin said with a neutral expression.

"Who-?" At this Ironwood's anger rose once again, however he knew yelling would not get him anywhere this time, so shut his mouth as his teeth clicked audibly. "If she is, then we need to tell him."

"But we don't know if she is." Ozpin calmly said.

"Her having Silver eyes should be enough evidence! You and I are very much aware of how rare that trait is, and if that's not enough, then have a blood test performed! Something!" Ironwood exclaimed, "Ozpin, we're talking about the possibility of Qrow's, our friend's, lost niece! If we can return her then-"

"She's not a lost _item_ General." Ozpin interrupted, "She's a person. One who has grown and been raised in an nourishing environment, leading a happy, though albeit harsh, life. Despite being aware that she is an orphan, she has already made a family, one that she loves and who loves her in return."

"She could have already _had_ a family!" Ironwood stated, raising his voice once more. "A family who has been searching for her for all these years she's been missing! A family that she's connected to, by blood!"

"But to her, they're just a group of strangers." Ozpin firmly stated.

"Yes, but if she just met them- if she met Qrow and Taiyang, she would know that they're more than-"

"You don't know that!" Glynda shouted in interruption. "You don't know if she _wants_ to meet those related to her by blood! You don't even know her, so you don't get to decide what's best for her!"

"You don't know what her current situation, her so called family, is like! What if _they're_ not what's best for her?" Ironwood countered with a pointed finger.

"What I know is that she is happy with her family." Glynda stated with gritted teeth, "You should see her when she speaks of them because I can assure you James, that you will see nothing but pride and affection. If you are willing to rip her away from that, then you are not righting a wrong. You are creating one."

Ironwood visibly recoiled from the proclamation, the offense he felt showed on his face though he quickly schooled his features. "She belongs with her rightful family." He said

"She already has one." Glynda countered.

"For all we know, she could have been raised by vagabonds. Or brainwashed into thinking they're her family. There have been many cases where the victim develops sympathy toward their captors," Ironwood claimed. "Would you have her continuing to live her life like that then?"

"You've stepped too far James!" Glynda glared

"Have I?" He asked, narrowing his eyes down at her.

"It doesn't matter who is right or wrong," Ozpin intervened. "The fact of the matter is that we can not take a DNA test from her without her permission, not only is that a breach of confidentiality, but a violation of privacy. Furthermore, we do not get to decide what is best of her based off of our own judgment and remove her from the family she has unless we notice a case of abuse. Which in any event that we've noticed, there has not been one single indication of such. She is, by far, one of the more fortunate children to have lived outside the kingdom."

"But-!" Ironwood tried

"It is not up for debate General." Ozpin said with a tone of finality. "Now, if you excuse us. We must get ready for the morning assembly with the first years."

Ironwood clenched his hands into tight fists as Glynda smiled triumphantly to herself.

"Of course." Ironwood yielded, politely inclining his head before turning and walking back into the elevator. "Before I go, what do you think Qrow will think of this Ozpin?" He asked before pushing the button.

After the doors closed, Ozpin heaved a sigh, resting his head into his hands once more. He already knew what Qrow would do when he found out.

And that's what worried him.

* * *

Ruby happily hummed a listless tune as she sauntered up to her team dorm room, having felt much better after having a restful night.

She wasn't entirely sure why, but she had been growing extremely tired as of late. Cinder said that it was because she wasn't used to working so hard or so often, however, Ruby felt like there was more to it than just that.

Regardless, she couldn't ponder on it for too long as she had a mission to focus on and a team to convince to go to the area she was needed.

So she pulled open the door with a cheerful smile, "Good morning team RWBY!"

"Good morning Ruby." Blake greeted from her bed, placing the book she was previously reading in her lap.

"Morning Rubes!" Yang greeted with a small grin, sitting at the desk with a letter in her hand.

"What's that?" Ruby inquired curiously, making a show to peer over from her spot that was just far away enough that she wouldn't see the contents in case Yang didn't want her to.

"It's a letter from my dad," Yang answered. "He just wanted to wish me luck on my mission and tell me how he and our dog, Zwei, have been."

Ruby lightly gasped, "You have a dog?"

Yang nodded, "Yeah! We got him after…. uh. Well, we got him when my dad kind of went down in the dumps. They go everywhere together, even to school."

Ruby titled her head, wondering if that was allowed.

Yang must have realized and explained, "Zwei is a certified Therapy dog, and the school my dad works at have given him permission to enter on campus. It's really cool, kids love him." She said, "Dad was just telling me about this shy kid that got injured on the playground a while back, and now Zwei is attached to and watching over the kid."

Ruby smiled in excitement, "That's pretty cool! I've always wanted a pet, but I never could have one because of how often I move." She paused in thought, "But I looked after some street cats for a while! And they let me pet them, so it was _almost_ like having a pet! They even brought me presents!" She proclaimed, standing up straighter in pride.

Yang laughed in amusement, before turning toward her partner. "What about you Blake?"

Blake lightly scowled, looking over at the Yang with caution. "I don't like dogs." She stated, "And, I never had the chance to raise a pet since I've lived outside the kingdoms as well. However, I think having a cat would be nice."

"Ha! I can totally see you with a cat." Yang grinned, "You would be laying in bed with the cat sleeping on you while you read."

Blake smiled, "Or interrupting me."

Ruby nodded in agreement, "What about you Wei-" she paused, just noticing the lack of her partner's presence and furrowed her brows in confusion.

Blake smiled, a little sheepishly as her bow twitched a little, "Sorry, but we're still waiting for Weiss to get ready."

Ruby pouted in mock anger. "After she told me to come early so we could all go together too, and she's not even ready." She grumbled to herself.

Before she could ask where Weiss was, her ears registered the sound of a familiar voice singing from the en suite, and the shower on.

"She said she wanted to take a nice long, hot shower before we left." Blake said, and paused. Her eyes rolled up to the ceiling as she recalled something that caused her cheeks to darken, but quickly shook her head and cleared her throat as she continued, "Because we don't know if we'll be camping out or not, or how long we'll be on our mission for."

Ruby arched her brow at Blake, wondering what had gotten her spaced out while Yang snickered.

"Oh, okay." Ruby nodded, "Then we should make sure she has a nice, fun shower." She proclaimed with a grin

Blake suddenly turned red again and ducked her head, causing Yang to laugh louder as Ruby stared at the two baffled.

She decided not to question them and walked to the door of the bathroom before turning around to lean against it, listening in to the the song and waited.

The moment Weiss began singing a familiar part, Ruby joined in, loudly and off key causing Weiss to hit off note in surprise.

Weiss paused in her singing, "I- Ruby! You made me sing off pitch!" She complained, though it seemed as though it was not heard as Ruby continued singing.

Yang laughed heartedly, singing along to the best of her ability and almost as loudly as her leader.

The sudden duet made Weiss giggle loudly from in the shower, before she continued on, naturally taking the lead.

Blake smiled, softly joining in.

Waiting for Weiss didn't seem to take long, and they left after the team sang two more songs from her repertoire. All of which the entire team knew as she sang them on a regular basis.

As they moved to the assembly hall, Ruby decided to take the chance to ask them what kind of mission they were all interested in doing.

"Anything that doesn't require a stake out." Blake immediately said

Confused by the sudden specific statement, Ruby looked to the other two in question only to find them nodding in agreement with tired eyes.

"Oh that's right, you weren't there when we had that stake out." Yang said, "We had one during that night at the docks. Since we were by the sea and it was warm, it didn't make a very fun experience."

Ruby and Blake winced, both reminded by the topic of their argument as they shifted uncomfortably.

Weiss sharply nudged Yang, throwing a glare at her as she gestured toward the other two with her eyes.

Understanding, Yang awkwardly attempted to change the topic. "S-so it would be cool if we could do something else! Something… fun! Like beating up some Grimm!"

Weiss nodded in agreement, all too keen to get the uncomfortable air to disperse. "Yes, fighting Grimm would allow us to see exactly how far we have come in our training."

Blake strained a smile, sending a grateful look to Weiss and Yang. "That would be nice."

Ruby contemplated on the bit of information, allowing her discomfort to wash away and make room to think about something else. Accomplishing that should be easy enough as she was certain that there were plenty of missions that could fulfill those criteria. "Okay. Sounds fun." She agreed. "Maybe something like… Security?" she asked as they neared the assembly hall

"I think that sounds perfect." Weiss smiled in agreement. "Which, speaking of Security. Here Blake." She began, pausing mid step to dig through her pocket, fishing out a gun clip and offered it to Blake.

"What's this?" Blake asked, arching a curious brow as she accepted it.

"It's a dust clip." Weiss smiled, "I recall you saying how useful it would be if you had a solid clone back when you were assisting me set up the dance. So, I customized a clip for you. Consider it my thanks for your help and support."

"I- don't know what to say." Blake said, shocked at the pleasant surprise. "Thank you Weiss."

"You're welcome." Weiss nodded before the four filed into the hallway along with the other students.

Before Ruby and her team could find a place to settle at, Ruby felt someone staring at her from the side of her head. Looking in that direction she made eye contact with Pyrrha, eliciting a small smile from the other that gave a small hand wave before gesturing to the space in front of her team.

With a grateful smile, Ruby led her team over to the area, waving at the rest of Pyrrha's team just as Glynda stepped up to the microphone.

"If I could have everyone's attention," Glynda said, causing the students to quickly quiet down. "Headmaster Ozpin would like to have a few words with you all." She finished, making way for said person.

Ruby began to space out the moment he stepped up, beginning to think about the small handful of different missions in the North West and a number of scenarios on how she would ditch her team and huntsman.

The most logical choice would be to give them the slip at night, however, previous experience told her that going out and fighting Grimm would require someone to keep watch at night on a routine basis. She frowned in thought, wondering if she could get away with the excuse of running errands.

She supposed it would depend on exactly what mission her team would decide on though, as there wouldn't be a point to do so if they were working as an escort.

She scratched her head, wanting nothing more than to huff a sigh of aggravation, as nothing seemed to come up for her.

She was suddenly brought of her idling's when she felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her head to snap up and look at Yang

"You ready to go find some action?" Yang asked with a small grin

Registering the sounds of students moving about, Ruby realized that Ozpin must have finished his speech.

It probably wasn't that important anyway.

"Yeah! Let's go find something fun!" She smiled

"Do you have any ideas of what you want to do?" Weiss asked as the team began walking around to browse the available choices.

Surprised at the attention and consideration sent her way, Ruby suddenly began feeling pressure weigh down on her, making her feel nervous as she took advantage of the question. "Uh… Well, I think it would be nice to go outside the city… Maybe to a town outside the kingdom?" She offered

Blake nodded, "As nice as the city is, I do kind of miss the idle pace of villages and towns." She confessed.

"So, we just need to find a mission that has us on security detail, some Grimm to fight, and is outside the kingdom." Weiss listed with her hand, "Should be simple enough." she said as they walked over to the listings under security.

Something seemed to catch Yang's eye, "Well, what about this one?" She asked, pointing to a mission in the south.

"That looks decent enough." Weiss agreed

Growing nervous, but remembering her sister's words, Ruby nodded as she stepped up and selected it, inputting her team name.

As she had hoped, her team was rejected; the status of the mission being unavailable flashed on screen and allowed her to breath a silent sigh of relief.

"Hm, that's too bad." Weiss said. "I suppose we'll just have to select a different one."

"This one looks fun." Ruby said, pointing to the one at the top, located in the North-West and with High-Grimm Activity. "They need help repairing their walls, so we wouldn't stay in one spot for a long time."

The rest of her team agreed, and she stretched up, standing on the tip of her toes to select it when a familiar hand reached over her to select the option as she felt the owner's presence behind her.

Leaning back and to the side to look up behind her, she saw Pyrrha looking back down with amusement in her eyes.

"Pyrrha!" Ruby greeted in slight shock and happiness as she swiveled to face her.

"Hello again." Pyrrha smiled, standing straight again as she gave a little wave.

Ever since the dance, Pyrrha had requested that Ruby continue teaching her more dance routines for fun during their breaks between sparrs. Ruby, of course, accepted the request, all too happy to have an excuse to dance with someone. Having done so made Ruby get used to and become familiar with Pyrrha's presence around her person rather quickly. It also became a fun past time for the two, instead of just sitting and snacking in their usual comfortable silence.

"What are you guys doing here?"

As Pyrrha opened her mouth to answer, Jaune beat her to it, taking it upon himself as his duty of team leader.

"We just finished selecting our mission." He smiled, "Ren and Nora wanted to shadow the sheriff in a nearby town outside the kingdom. We're going to leave tomorrow. What about you guys?"

"We'll be going outside the kingdom as well." Weiss answered, "Ruby and Blake both seem to miss the countryside and urban areas while Yang and I wish to test out strength against Grimm."

"Which quadrant are you guys going to Pyrrha?" Ruby asked, noticing the interruption that had occurred.

Pyrrha smiled, "To quadrant 2, it's in the North-West."

Ruby beamed in happiness, excitement rising at the prospect of being in the same area as Pyrrha. "Us too!"

"Well, we don't know that." Weiss interrupted, "You haven't even put in the request yet."

The statement gave Ruby pause, reminding her that she wasn't just going on a mission with her team, but for her sister as well and a weight settled in her chest. "O-Oh. Right." She said sheepishly, causing Pyrrha to chuckle in amusement.

Turning back to the screen, the keyboard and request for the team stared back at Ruby, unnervingly, reminding her that she wasn't going to have fun with her team.

She slowly typed in her team name, and pressed enter.

The sound and loading screen came on, indicating the request being sent until it dinged and a show of "Mission accepted. Please report to Professor Goodwitch at the landing pad in 30 minutes." Appeared.

"I suppose now, we can say that we might see each other then." Pyrrha said with a smile.

Ruby nodded, Pyrrha's positivity infectious, as Ruby grew a little excited at the prospect and possibility of bumping into Pyrrha and the rest of her team, until she realized what that meant.

If they're in the same area, then she might have to consider watching out for them or ditching them as well.

She glanced back at the screen, wondering if it was possible to cancel, but saw no indication of such a button.

It was too late now.

"I see that you four have selected a rather normal task." Ozpin's voice sounded from Ruby's other side, slowly walking up to the team. "I find that rather surprising, considering the type of trouble you manage to get yourselves into." He said with a bit of amusement, folding his hands on the head of his cane in front of him as he glanced over to Ruby.

The team leader laughed nervously, "Whatever do you mean?" she asked.

Ozpin hummed, "Indeed. Whatever do I mean?" He retorted back as he cast his gaze over to the mission they accepted. He frowned upon seeing it though, pulling out a scroll pad in confusion. "That's odd. This mission shouldn't be available to first years considering the amount of Grimm infestation in the area."

Jaune seemed to have heard the headmaster, as he suddenly looked nervous at the statement. "An… infestation?" He asked

Ren patted his leader on the back, "Don't worry Jaune, we're stationed within the town walls, not outside."

"Oh." Jaune voiced his relief.

Ruby felt anxious though, as she hadn't realized that she chose a mission that wasn't meant for first years. Not wanting Ozpin to look too deeply into it in fear of her sister getting caught, Ruby nervously asked, "Should… we choose a different mission?" she asked with a sad face.

The rest of her team seemed to wilt at the possibility of being transferred to a different task.

Ozpin hummed in thought, before shaking his head. "I'd be remiss to take away such an opportunity from such eager faces. Besides," He paused in amusement, pocketing away his scroll. "I highly doubt there is anything to worry about with your team's skill level and especially with Glynda as your huntress."

Yang, Weiss, and Blake all became relieved at being granted such an opportunity, as well as excited for being able to shadow a teacher they admired.

Ruby though, suddenly felt more pressure weighing down on her. Glynda was an observant teacher. There was no way she would allow Ruby out of her sight or knowledge of where she was at.

"Thank you. We promise, we will not waste this opportunity Professor Ozpin." Weiss graciously said.

"Please, do not thank me for this," Ozpin said with a wave of a hand. "Remember, you are leaving the safety of the kingdom walls, one mistake could very well cost you and the things that await you will not care. Stay close to your huntress at all times, and do exactly as she says. She will be leading you and she will have you sent back to Beacon if she thinks it necessary or if she finds your skills to be unsatisfactory. And believe me, Glynda will undoubtedly do so and has in the past." He mused with a light laugh as he began to depart.

"Good luck."

The four members of team RWBY shifted with anxiety, all glancing at each other to share their trepidation at the mission.

Pyrrha strained a smile as she attempted to lift their spirits. "Well, look at it this way, Professor Goodwitch seems to have taken a liking toward your team. Especially you Ruby."

"Yeah! Glynda doesn't like _us_ all too much." Nora added. "So you guys should have no problem with having fun!"

Ruby apprehensively smiled, "Y-Yeah. Right… Fun."

"We should go meet her now unless we wish to be tardy." Weiss said, looking at the time on her scroll.

"You're leaving now?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yes. Unfortunately we are required to be there as soon as possible." Weiss confirmed, only to wistfully sigh. "It's a good thing I took my shower this morning."

"Yeah! And you had fun time taking it." Yang grinned.

"Fun?" Jaune voiced in question

"Ah," Pyrrha noted, "Was that perhaps when you were all singing?"

"You heard us?" Blake asked, her cheeks lightly dusting with pink from embarrassment.

"Heard you? I'm pretty sure the whole _dorm_ heard you guys sing! It was great!" Nora claimed with a large grin.

"If one could call it singing." Ren added.

Blake whimpered a little, hanging her head and bringing her hands up to cradle the top of her head, lightly pressing down on her ribbon in an attempt to hide herself.

Weiss seemed to take pity on her, and leaned over to soothly rub her back to comfort her. "Don't worry Blake, I'm certain that the sounds of Ruby and Yang's belts and howls were loud enough to drown your voice out."

Perking up, Ruby mischievously grinned and took the opportunity to be obnoxious just for the sake of it. Raising her head into the air, she took a deep breath and howled loudly.

Yang seemed to have the same idea as she joined in, causing other students around them to bizarrely stare at the group before Nora decided to follow after Yang.

Although Jaune and Pyrrha were amused, with the latter laughing, Blake and Ren both seemed to stare at their respective partners with an exasperated look.

Weiss shook her head, half crossing her arm while pressing her fingers and thumb to her forehead as she sighed. "Why are you like this Ruby?"

Ruby, Yang, and Nora all snickered, bumping fists with each other as Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Let's go." Weiss demanded, grabbing hold of Ruby by her arm and pulling her along with Blake and Yang trailing after.

"Bye Pyrrha!" Ruby said while waving her arm, "Hope to see you guys later!"

"You as well." Pyrrha called.

"Are you feeling better Ruby?" Yang asked as they exited the hall and Ruby was released from Weiss's clutches, "I know what Ozpin said wasn't exactly, uplifting."

"Even if it's true." Blake said

Ruby nervously grinned at the reminder, "I know it'll be tough, but I'm sure we'll make it through." She assured. To herself or for her team, she wasn't certain though.

Weiss nodded, "Indeed we will. Besides, we'll be fighting alongside Professor Goodwitch, I'm certain we'll be fine."

Remembering who the Huntress they were supposed to shadow was, Ruby's anxiety grew, still having no idea of how she would be able to get away from her professor.

An audible hum was heard from behind the team, causing them all to swivel on their feet to find Professor Goodwitch standing behind them already. "Ozpin had informed me that I would be accompanied by you four, but I didn't actually think it to be true." She said, "But I digress."

"I see none of you have packed any belongings, very good." She began, "I have already packed our essentials, so please do not worry yourselves over that. We will be spending most of our time outside and by the town's walls to help repair it and to exterminate the Grimm in the area, it would not do to have extra items to weigh us down and we will make camp in an area we deem safe enough. Should I feel like we have been making enough progress, I'll be comfortable in allowing ourselves a break inside the village to regather ourselves. Once we finish, we will also have one free day look around. Am I clear?"

"Yes ma'm." The four said in unification.

"Very good. Now, are there any questions?"

Ruby looked down in thought as she went over Glynda's explanation. Waiting until they finished might be pushing it, but she might not have any other choice to be able to meet with Adam. She would be more comfortable meeting with him sooner though. So long as they did well enough and are able to get a break inside the village, it might be possible for Ruby to do just that. There was just one problem…

She raised her hand in question.

"Yes Ruby?" Glynda asked

"Will our time in the village be for ourselves? Or would we have to follow you around still?" She asked

Glynda crossed her arms, "I know very well how you kids can be when under constant supervision. So no, you will not be required to follow me around during our stay in the village. Besides, on the last day I must attend a meeting with the mayor, I highly doubt anyone of you wish to stay for that."

The four donned sheepish looks. "No ma'm."

At that, Glynda couldn't help but to allow a small smile. "Now let's hurry along, walls don't repair themselves and a village needs protection." She said, shepherding the team in the direction of the air pad landings.

The walk in that direction was short, and spent in comfortable silence.

"I didn't think you would be one of the Huntresses that were available to shadow, Professor." Weiss said as they boarded the airship.

"I usually am not." Glynda nodded, rapping on the ceiling after the girls all grabbed hold of the railing to steady and secure themselves, informing the pilot to take off. "However, I'm most often assigned to repair walls if needed."

"Is that because of your semblance?" Blake inquired as they took off.

"Yes." Glynda paused, "Although, I must admit that fixing things seems to have become a specialty of sorts for my telekinesis."

"Can't you break stuff just as much?" Yang asked as Weiss and Blake huddled closer to her to keep warm from the chilly air, "I'm sure you've seen some action before. Fought some Grimm, maybe even some bad guys?"

"Of course." Glynda nodded. "It is a dreadful thing, it is. To have a house fall on you."

Blake, Yang, and Weiss's eyes all widened as they leaned just a bit away from Glynda in fear. Ruby though, snorted before laughter overtook her.

Glynda allowed a small smile to show; glad to know that her humor was not lost on all her students.

It didn't take much longer after until Glynda noticed the landscape below them. "Hm. It seems that we have arrived." She said.

Quickly, the girls, with the exception of their leader, peered over the window in excitement.

Excitement that was rapidly lost, as their features paled and unease settled in themselves.

Below them, the familiar sight of a mixed color forest that would have indicated the change of seasons, seemed lost on them as patches were missing, burnt black with the branches charred of life. Many trees had fallen as packs of Grimm crawled over, claiming the area as their nest.

Ruby frowned, noting the density of Grimm and thought how difficult it would be to clear them out. She wondered if getting that break before the last day might even be possible.

The state of the town's walls was on the verge of crumbling. And while not as impressive as the Kingdom's, the height and thickness of them looked safe enough to prevent a Grimm invasion so long as they remain standing.

A number of weary guards, slumped in position with weapons were on standby at the top, waiting to be released of their taxing duty.

The moment one noticed the airship though, they shouted to the others as they waved in their direction.

In their excitement, they garnered the attention of the other guards, prompting them all to wave and shout in joy as the team flew right past over them.

Getting an eagle eye view of the village, Weiss immediately wilted, as she couldn't believe her eyes while Yang adopted a somber expression.

Even as far as they were, it was easy to tell that there were a few people cast out on the dirt roads, sitting or lying at the sides of the streets as others passed by them, seemingly unaware. Graffiti took up part of the buildings that looked as though they were in dire need of new paint and/or windows.

"It looks… run down." Weiss stated with a little sadness.

"This is the typical state of most towns outside the kingdom. As unfortunate as that may sound." Glynda stated. "Many, who can't keep up with or feel safe in villages, but can not afford to live in the city or kingdom, move into these towns to gain some form of protection. Sadly, that creates overpopulation in a town, as expansion can be difficult. This also puts stress on a town's economic growth, hindering it and well… you can see the outcome."

"I… didn't know." Weiss said, hanging her head.

Blake placed a comforting hand on Weiss's shoulder, giving her a small squeeze to garner her attention. "That's fine. You know now at least, and you're acknowledging it."

Weiss weakly smiled, nodding in acceptance.

Blake smiled in return, taking her hand back.

"You might wish to keep a close eye on items carried on your person though." Glynda commented, "There are a number of thefts and pickpockets that occur in towns." She said, arching a brow in Ruby's direction.

Understanding what Glynda wanted, Ruby nodded with a grin, "I'll be sure to keep an eye out to help prevent it."

"I'll help too." Blake said, "I may not have a sharp eye like Ruby does to prevent it, but I can stop people from getting too far."

"Very good." Glynda nodded as they landed. "First, we must report our presence to the mayor, then we can make our way outside the walls." She said, stepping out of the aircraft.

The team quickly trailed after, walking behind their huntress in pairs with Ruby and Weiss in the back.

It was a short walk to the town hall, where Glynda told them to wait outside as she went it.

With tense shoulders, Weiss looked around with her arms loosely hugging herself as her eyes shifted with paranoia.

Only a few other people were walking on the roads, and there were small groups or pairs here and there. The most notable ones that caught her eyes though, were a group of Faunus that were dirty in appearance, their shoes and shirts worn until small tears and holes were made.

She tightened her hold around herself, keeping a conscious sense on her wallet.

"Your racism is showing." Ruby whispered in her ear with amusement, eliciting a yelp.

"I- no! What are you-?" A curious glance from Blake made Weiss catch herself, lowering her voice to only be heard by Ruby as she waved assuredly toward the other. "Why would you say such a thing?" Weiss demanded

Ruby arched a brow before gesturing to the group of Faunus that had caught Weiss's eye. "You just thought they were going to pickpocket you didn't you?"

"I- well yes." Weiss confessed, "But can you blame me after what Professor Goodwitch said?"

"She only said to watch out for pickpockets Weiss. She didn't say what pickpockets looked like." Ruby pointed out.

"But-"

"It's fine Weiss, I know you're trying." Ruby assured with a small pat on her shoulder, "This isn't the kind of thing that changes overnight or in a week."

Weiss frowned in confusion, still not understanding what it was that she did that was considered racist. Ruby seemed to sense that and began to explain.

"Look," Ruby began, "You took one glance over at them and thought, they're going to steal from you right?"

Weiss nodded

"Why?"

"Well…" Weiss started, uncertain, "Because they look…" She paused, not wanting to sound rude.

"You can say it." Ruby said

Weiss frowned, "They look poor."

Ruby nodded, "That's true." She said, allowing Weiss to feel relieved for not offending someone. "But so do other people."

At the proclamation, Weiss glanced around, finding that what Ruby said was true, and frowned. Why didn't she notice that earlier?

"You said it before Weiss, you thought that Faunus were all liars and thieves. It just shows that you still subconsciously think that." Ruby said with a shrug.

"I do not!" Weiss hissed, "I-I worked past that! I even get along immensely with Blake now! A-And I'm-" She paused, her mouth immediately clicking shut before she could say more.

Ruby gave a sad smile, "Yeah, but you still believe the stereotype. Blake is different to you, because you know her personally. That doesn't mean you're _not_ profiling other Faunus that you don't know." She explained. "It's only natural, after all, we like judging books by their covers despite not being told to right?"

Suddenly feeling guilty, Weiss looked down at the ground as she realized just how true those words were. "How do I change then?" She asked

"You already are." Ruby said, "The first thing you're supposed to do when facing a problem is recognizing it, right? Besides, now you know to think twice before doing it again." She rhetorically said with a shrug.

Weiss smiled, "... thank you." She whispered

Ruby smiled back in return, "No problem." She said, before leaning closer almost conspiratorially, "And for your information, keep an eye out on those guys." Ruby said, gesturing toward a pair of humans that looked fairly decent from up ahead.

"Why?" Weiss asked

"They've been planning to pickpocket you for a while." Ruby said matter of fact-ly. "They've already eyed you a few times and pointed to the area where your pocket is."

Weiss widened her eyes, staring at Ruby with a mix of disbelief and awe. "What should I do?" She asked.

"Just keep a hold of your wallet." Ruby shrugged, "Or…" she held out her hand, an offer to watch over Weiss's belonging for her.

Weiss glanced down at Ruby's hand in question, before a small smile appeared. She reached into her pocket to pull her wallet out and handed it to Ruby. "Thank you."

Ruby smiled, opening the inside of her coat and slipping the wallet into an inside pocket. "No problem."

"All right girls," Glynda said. "Now that we've reported, it's time to go out and get started."

Nodding, the group made their way to the gates of the town with thankfully, no incidents.

Upon exiting the town though, they were immediately greeted with the sight of a pack of Beowolves blocking the road.

"As a reminder you four," Glynda said as she turned around and began examining the wall, "I'm not here to babysit you nor am I here to do the work for you. When it comes to fighting, you four are on your own."

Ruby stared at the Beowolves who had taken notice of them, nervous as she armed herself.

She'll have to work a little harder if she wanted to make it to Adam in time.

"And please, do be careful." Glynda said, pointing her riding crop toward the wall

* * *

Cinder stared down at her scroll in disbelief, a stern scowl set on her face as she sat on her bed in their assigned dorm room.

Her eyes glowed in irritation, making Mercury and Emerald slowly back away. (Neo having left the group after Ruby did, under the pretense of not wanting to be bored and to keep Roman company)

Mercury nudged Emerald, causing her to scowl before he nodded over to Cinder.

Emerald tentatively looked over at said person, and swallowed down her nervousness. "Is… everything alright?"

"No." Cinder simply said, "Adam proves to continue being his usual irritating self."

Silence descended upon the room, and this time, Emerald nudged Mercury while nodding over to Cinder.

"What… happened?" Mercury asked

"He seems to have thought it necessary to _finally_ message me back in regards to my request for him to keep an eye out for Ruby." Cinder explained, her scowl deepening. "Nothing more."

She turned her scroll around for Mercury and Emerald to see, and upon gaining a closer look; they found that Adam had indeed messaged back with a simple, "K".

Glancing at each other, the look on each other's faces confirmed that they both had blanched at his reply. Equally finding the reply rather annoying.

"He doesn't speak to us for months, using other people to send us reports, and when _he_ does, it's one letter?" Emerald asked with disdain.

"Well, we already did know he didn't like us." Mercury said with a shrug, "But it is annoying."

Cinder sighed, frustratingly swiping away from the message to look at something else. "Unfortunately, there isn't anything we can do about it now." She said, "Ruby should have arrived in the area by now."

"What mission did she end up picking?" Mercury asked

Cinder hummed, "A security detail for wall repair. Apparently, there is a high amount of Grimm activity in the area."

Emerald groaned, "Why did she have to pick that one? She's going to get herself hurt."

Mercury frowned, "She's not as helpless as you think Emerald."

"She is when she's as klutzy as we see." Emerald argued

"Mercury's right." Cinder said, "Besides, this is a perfect chance for Ruby to test herself and her abilities. If the report comes back with good words, then it'll let us know that she is more than capable to go on other missions in the future when needed." She paused, looking over the mission details with a small frown before shaking her head to exit out of the screen.

"But, you can't help but worry can you?" Mercury asked as Emerald huffed, crossing an arm over herself and bit her thumbnail.

"Of course." Cinder nodded, "She is Ruby after all."

 


	17. Respect

**Chapter 13 - - - Respect**

"Yang! Knight to Ursas! Don't let them see you!" Ruby shouted, stabbing her sword into the ground to stop her momentum after being flung back. "Weiss, castle to Boar Tusks! Port's class! Blake bishop to Wolf packs!" She commanded, not taking her eyes off of the large Taijitu further ahead in the forest, slithering its' way toward the wall.

Immediately, her team complied with the order, jumping or running straight into action as they split. The method was to divide and conquer, take care of the Grimm that Ruby knew each could easily beat.

"Keep it up you girls." Glynda said, completely focused on the wall of the North East side of town, ridden with holes and cracks. "You're doing great."

It was by far the section that was in worst shape out of all the parts they had to watch over during their three days of travel. The team and teacher had no choice but to camp in the area for the night, as Glynda could not finish repairing it in before the sun had set the previously day. About an hour before the sun was raised, Ruby had unfortunately been rudely awaken by a panicked Blake, who quickly informed her of a Taijitu spotting.

Alarmed, Ruby had helped wake up everyone else, and the team had no choice but to start the day off with little sleep.

It only got worse from there though, as suddenly a large pack of a diverse set of Grimm had come running in their direction, leaving them with a rather exciting way to start the morning and Glynda feeling pressured to finish repairing the entire side of the wall.

Initially, the team managed to work together for a while, making it a lot easier to breath as they watched each other's backs, but upon noticing how close the Taijitu had come, they had no choice but to change their methods of fighting.

Ruby reasoned it to be best if the three tried their best to focus on a specific type of Grimm. Stating that while it would be nice if they all stuck together, it would be best if the three didn't have to worry and stress about continuously changing their strategy. Of course, she advised that they allow room for flexibility, but if they could continue catering themselves to their abilities, then it should all work out fine.

Assuming she could handle the Taijitu by herself that is.

She pulled her sword out of the earth, loosely spinning it in hand out of habit as she warily eyed the Grimm, both pair of eyes from each half staring back at her in turn. Taking into account how hard the Grimm's skin is and the impact of her own hits, it's unlikely she would do any significant damage.

If Pyrrha were fighting with her then it would be very simple to take care of.

Or if Ruby had already upgraded her weapons.

However, neither was available, leaving Ruby any other choice but to figure something else out.

Speeding toward the Grimm, she quickly duck under a head intent on snapping at her, forcing her to power slide across the ground. The other head came circling around though, causing her to leap into the air and land on the Grimm's back.

She ran along it, swiping down it with her Lightning Dust clips activated in hopes of increasing some damage. However, all it did was aggravate the Grimm and cause it to screech into the air and throw her off its' back in anger.

Switching her clips, she made herself go higher into the air to stay out of reach in case the Grimm decided to lash up at her. It was a good call on her end, as that was exactly what it decided to do with the white half.

Before it could retract back down though, Ruby threw herself to the side of the Grimm's head, quickly clapping her swords together as they formed to her crossbow. As she allowed her bolt to charge up, she aimed at the Grimm's eye and shot.

Letting out a deafening screech, the Grimm panicked as it shook itself wildly around in the air.

Hurriedly, Ruby looked down at her crossbow and attempted to shake it apart. "Come on girls! Mama needs you to separate no-OW!"

As she feared, the head had blindly swung at her, sending her flying away.

The feeling of falling, and the sound of air whipping past seemed like static to her mind as her head throbbed, making her feel dazed.

A sense of deja vu overcame her, shocking her out of her stupor.

Quickly, she pulled her crossbow apart, this time having an extra second before she crashed against something. Upon retrieving her swords back in their forms, she changed her clip and threw wind behind her to halt her velocity. She didn't stop though, as she began to spin her body, pointing her sword toward her feet to cast more wind and hurl herself toward the Black half of the Grimm.

Seeing her coming in, the Grimm opened its mouth to strike toward her. Gritting her teeth, Ruby tilted her swords in a different direction to help her fly toward the sky. Just as the Grimm snapped its jaws shut, she softly landed at the center of the top of its head.

She looked down at where the eyes were with a look of dismay of what she was about to do, spinning both her swords in her hands as she changed her dust clips, and forcibly hooked into the sockets, pulling the trigger as she did so.

As the eyes were electrocuted, the Grimm screeched out its cry and writhed against the forest floor. This time, Ruby had enough holding on the Grimm to prevent herself from flying off as she gripped onto her swords to keep her steady.

Before long, the Taijitu collapsed onto the ground, drained of life and Ruby breathed a sigh of relief. She turned back to her team, still busy fighting off the rest of the hoard and ran to join them after extracting her swords.

"I saw the whole thing, that was great Ruby!" Yang shouted in praise when their leader was in hearing distance as the Ursa in front of her was blown away.

"Despite it being albeit barbaric." Weiss commented, throwing a few Boartusks on their backs with her glyphs.

"Fighting a Taijitu is always rather ugly." Blake commented, slashing through a Beowolf.

"That's rather unfortunate." Weiss sighed

"Don't worry Weiss! I'll make it more clean next time!" Ruby snickered, tripping up a Beowolf that was behind Weiss

Weiss rolled her eyes as she stopped, already having dealt deadly blows to the Grimms on their backs. "That'd be much appreciated." She stated sarcastically.

"Alright guys! Regroup and we'll finish them all off!" Ruby grinned.

It seemed like forever until the team finished cleaning up, and Glynda finished repairing the section of the wall, and before they knew it - the sun was almost at the highest point of the sky.

"Fantastic work you four." Glynda said with a nodd of approval, "With that, I do believe that we all have earned a day's rest in town."

The team all heaved a sigh of relief, bent over with heavy breaths and sweat dripping off their brow. Straightening back up, they allowed Glynda to lead them to the nearest gate entrance a bit back from where they came from. None spoke in favor of catching their breath, but the walk back was comfortable as they each had a satisfied look on their faces.

Upon entry back into the town, Glynda scanned the area before turning back to face the team. "Alright you four, I'm sorry to say but I have some business to attend to, so you will have to ensure that each of you stay out of trouble." She said, staring straight at Ruby.

Ruby pointed to herself inquisitively with wide eyes.

Glynda merely sighed as she looked at the rest of the team, "Please ensure that your leader doesn't get into too much trouble."

"I will promise no such thing." Weiss stated

Glynda turned her hopeful sights onto Blake, who merely shook her head.

"Don't worry! I'll look after her." Yang assured, pointing a thumb at herself and throwing a wink in Ruby's direction, eliciting a small grin from the leader.

"As much as I appreciate the offer Miss Xiao Long…" Glynda trailed off, uncertain of how to phrase her next set of words.

"You are the most unreliable." Weiss finished.

"What? Why?" Yang asked with a bit of dismay.

"You enable her far more than you prevent her from getting into trouble." Weiss explained with a helpless shake of her head.

"No I don't!" Yang denied.

"You _just_ winked at her Yang." Blake said.

Yang sighed, looking over to the source of the topic. "Sorry Ruby."

"It's okay." Ruby said, "I'll be sure to stay out of trouble Cap! You can count on me!"

Glynda gave a wary look at Ruby, but gave in. There was no use in attempting to keep a leash on her. "If you say so." She sighed, "The inn we're staying at already has our rooms available, so feel free to drop by and rest. If any of you find yourselves in need of my attention, please do not hesitate to contact me through my scroll." Glynda informed

The team chorused their agreements, eliciting an amused smile from the professor before she left.

"So? What should we do now?" Yang asked.

"On our first day here, I noticed a few bookstores closing. So I'd like to go around town and explore for a bit if you don't mind." Blake said.

"That sounds like fun! I'll come with you." Yang smiled.

"I'd love to join, however" Weiss began, "I think I'll go to the inn to rest."

"Oh," Blake looked concerned, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Weiss assured, "I just wish to catch up on some sleep."

Seeing the safest opportunity, Ruby jumped at the idea as she raised her hand. "I'll go with Weiss!" She proclaimed, knowing that being with her partner gave her the best alibi.

"That would be best," Weiss commented, "You certainly need all the sleep you can get." She said, causing Blake and Yang to nod in agreement.

"You really need to watch your health," Yang said. "You can't run on low fuel all the time."

Surprised at their concern, Ruby could only duck her head guiltily at the reprimand as though it were own sister doing so.

"You two should go on ahead," Blake said, "We'll meet with you later."

"Sounds good. You two have fun exploring the village." Weiss said, though paused as her mouth quirked up. "But… not too much fun. I believe we had a private arrangement for that in the showers Blake."

Ruby tilted her head in confusion at the statement, as Blake turned red in embarrassment and Yang snorted out a laugh.

"Weiss please." Blake groaned, burying her face into her hands. "I've already apologized for the mistake when it happened."

Weiss merely giggled, lightly covering her mouth with a hand. "Yes, however the situation was far too good to pass up."

Blake silently huffed, "I'll see you later." She said with a tone of finality before walking off, which only caused Weiss and Yang to laugh more as the latter followed after.

"I don't get it." Ruby said when it was just her and Weiss left.

"It's a small joke on Blake." Weiss explained as the two began walking toward the inn. "It occurred before you arrived to the dorm on the day we selected our mission. Blake was preoccupied with her book when I stated that I would be taking a long shower. I suppose Blake had thought that I said that I was going to leave, as she told me to wait and not to leave without her. Before I could correct her, Yang had stopped me to see exactly how much Blake wasn't paying attention. So, Yang said that if Blake didn't hurry up, then I wouldn't have much fun by myself. Blake still didn't seem to realize what was going on, as she merely mumbled not to worry, as she would join me to have fun. Though, that was when she realized her error as both Yang and I started to laugh. Blake's reaction was quite endearing to be honest." Weiss giggled

Ruby still seemed confused, wondering if there was something she didn't catch onto, but shrugged. It was probably the type of humor that she had to be there for.

Weiss seemed to realize that the insinuation was lost on Ruby, but decided to not push on it. Instead, she thought a change of subject was necessary, if only to take Ruby's mind off it. "I apologize for my reaction earlier, your work on the Taijitu was superb Ruby. I suppose I'm just, not used to such tactics."

"It's okay. It was pretty gross." Ruby confessed, shivering slightly in remembrance of what she had to put her poor weapons through. "You've been doing really great with your glyphs though! You're able to hold a lot more different ones at the same time!" She complimented

Weiss preened under the praise, "Thank you. I wouldn't have gotten this far without your help though."

Ruby grinned, sliding her hands into her coat pockets as she bashfully pulled her shoulders up and avoided looking at Weiss, staring into the window display of a rather nice jewelry store. "It was no big deal. You should try to summon again when we go out though. I'm sure Blake and Yang wouldn't mind buying you some time again."

Weiss smiled, "I'd appreciate that."

As the two continued walking, Weiss took the time to look around the town, and frowned in confusion at the sight of her surroundings.

It looked so much nicer in the area then the part that they had walked through on the first day. The road was wide and stoned, there was a sidewalk with clean lampposts, the walls were clean - free of graffiti and stains. Yet, the stench of urine lingered in the air. There were a few people that sat at the sides, tired and weary, who tried to make eye contact with any passerbys. And there were little to no Faunus around that she could see.

"It seems so different than when we first arrived." Weiss commented

"That's because we're on the richer side!" Ruby explained

Weiss frowned, looking around. "It… doesn't _look_ rich." She said in a low voice

Ruby laughed, "Sure it does! It just doesn't smell or feel like it." She pointed out. "With how Atlas is, you've probably never seen what rich looks like in poor places."

Weiss nodded in agreement. "Yes. Cleaning up and ensuring that the city looks as best at all times is a high priority."

Ruby smiled, "Well. Here it is." She gestured. "It actually looks like one of the better areas I've seen. Just needs different people."

"What's wrong with the people?"

Ruby circled around her face with a finger before gesturing to a few people passing by the homeless, each completely ignoring or crinkling their nose in disgust. Then she gestured toward those who would pass by a Faunus, acting not unlike Weiss on their first day where their shoulders were tense and guarded, casting cautious glances toward them while ensuring they did not make eye contact.

Going quiet, Weiss glanced around one more time, taking in her surroundings and… found herself in a state of disbelief.

Had she really been raised in such a sheltered state? Where her first thought was how the area looked? Where she could not recognize the oddity of people's behaviors?

… Where she would act not unlike those people?

She glanced over to Ruby as they entered the inn, who had seemed undeterred by her surroundings as though it were just like every other day, and swallowed hard as a question came across her mind. "Um. Ruby?"

"Yeah?" Ruby asked, as she received the key from the front desk and led them over to their room.

"What is it…" Weiss grew nervous, unsure of how to approach the topic as she looked down to her feet, as they stopped in front of the door. "How does it feel when you're…"

She sighed; finding that there was no easy way to pose her question and decided to strike it as though peeling off a bandaid. "What is it like growing up poor?" She asked the moment Ruby opened the door, "And to experience… racism?"

Ruby frowned, pulling a hand up to rub her neck in thought, not knowing how to answer the question. "I don't… really know?" She said with uncertainty as the two entered the room, closing the door behind them. "I mean, sure… my family could be considered poor, but when it comes to how my life was, I think I've led a much better one than others."

"But… didn't you have to steal in order to survive?"

"Not really…?" Ruby easily confessed, still not sure of how to explain as she flopped down, stomach first, on one of the four beds. "Most of the time, it's just for fun. Some of my family members had to though, so I _sort of_ know what it's like, but I never actually went through it."

Ruby looked up at the headboard in thought, prying her lips to the side before she shrugged. "I couldn't tell you. Especially with what's it like being Faunus since, you know… I'm not a Faunus. You might want to ask Blake." She paused, her face wrinkling in disgust, "I've only seen it."

Weiss winced in remembrance of her own behavior before she frowned, not wishing to drop the subject. "Then what was life like you growing up?"

Ruby scratched her head, not knowing where to start or what to say. "Well… What was life like for you Miss Schnee?" She asked, "I'm sure you grew up in some fancy house or something." Ruby said with a cheeky smile.

Weiss huffed, annoyance emitting from her at the question, as propped her weapon against the nightstand before she sat across from Ruby with her hands folded over her chest and legs crossed. "I grew up in a manor, if you must know, where the manner of presentation was far more important to my father than the manner the family's well-being."

Ruby looked at Weiss with a bit of awe. "A manor?"

Weiss recoiled a little, silently reprimanding herself for being so inconsiderate of her confession as she remembered her surroundings and how Ruby grew up. "I- Yes. However, I assure you that it was used for nothing more than looks." Weiss stated, "It hardly ever felt like a home to me." She confessed with disdain.

Quizzically, Ruby inclined her head toward Weiss, prompting her to continue on.

"My father used to host guests over quite frequently." Weiss confessed, "As his daughter, I had to play the part as well, usually in the form of entertainment. Those were usually the only times I ever felt safe at home though, as when it was just left with us, I would bear much of his focus. He was… difficult to live under." She said, her body tense and rigid as her hands began to slightly tremble.

Ruby frowned, taking in her partner's demeanor and her heart suddenly leapt in fear for Weiss. "Are you… scared of him?"

Weiss went quiet, looking back down to her feet as she tried to push the image of her father out of her mind and swallowed a lump in her throat. "Yes." She said, "but I also admit that I'm angry at him."

Ruby stayed silent, allowing Weiss to continue speaking.

"He's constantly pushing me, criticizing me. Anything short of perfect is not good enough, anything that indicates that I'm not better than before is not good enough. Friends I attempt to make are met with the same criticism, for not being up to his standards." Weiss spat. Her hands were clenched in her lap, trembling in anger before she exhaled a breath and sagged. "It made for a lonely childhood."

Ruby frowned, her heart lurching in sadness while her throat closed up, unable to speak, as she had no idea what to say.

"However, I will say that having Winter made it easier to bear." Weiss confessed with a small smile, "Although, I must admit that a lot of things she does for me is rather… questionable." She mused while looking up at the ceiling in thought.

Ruby couldn't help but laugh at that, "I know what you mean! My sister, and the rest of my family do weird things for me out of love," She said, rolling her eyes as she used air quotes on the last word. "But I still love them."

Weiss smiled, gesturing for her friend to continue.

"I mean, I remember when I was younger and they were teaching me how to steal," Ruby began explaining, "They went out and stole presents for me or made things for me, but told me I had to steal it from them before the end of the week, otherwise they would burn them."

Weiss's eyes widened, questioning this method of training as Ruby merely laughed.

"I didn't really have to steal from them though, as much as they let me take it." Ruby mused, "I still keep all the things they got me anyway; Mx. Ted D. Bear, my clothing, my weapons, my scy-" she paused short of the word and stuttered over it, "I mean- My toy weapon… But it broke. " She finished a little guiltily, trailing off as she counted the items off her fingers.

"They stole your weapons for you?" Weiss asked.

"No. They stole some of the materials for me." Ruby clarified.

Suddenly not caring, Weiss rolled her eyes in amusement. "Why am I not surprised?"

Ruby snickered.

"I can't remember the last time my father, or anyone, gifted me with something." Weiss said as she tried searching through her memories, laying down on the bed as she stared at the ceiling. "Though, I remember once my sister, Winter, got me a new violin because Father broke the previous one. However, she is well aware of my disdain for the instrument… So I wonder why she got it for me." Weiss sighed with a shrug.

"I suppose I'm a little envious of your relationship with your sister," Weiss said. "Winter can be… well, cold."

"Well you can't have my sister." Ruby joked, laying down in her own bed as she turned to face her partner.

Weiss laughed, "I wouldn't dream of it." She said before turning over to her side and propping herself up. "Besides, despite my sister's questionable choices in gifts, I wouldn't trade her for the world."

"That's not really saying much since the SDC owns most major franchise."

Weiss picked up a pillow and playfully threw it at her leader who only giggled in turn, "You know what I mean! It's just… Sometimes I wish I knew what Winter thought of me."

Ruby tilted her head as she watched Weiss wilt a little more, dropping herself back onto the bed and flipping onto her back "Maybe she doesn't know how to tell you?"

Weiss looked at Ruby in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"Well, you said that your dad broke your violin before right?"

"That's correct, I was actually quite glad to see that forsaken instrument destroyed." Weiss nodded.

"If you hate it so much, then you probably had to practice it a ton right?"

"Correct. Father believed it necessary that I learn and master the classical instruments, as nothing less would be acceptable."

"Maybe she knew that it was the best way to keep you safe from him." Ruby shrugged. "I don't think that if there wasn't a reason for it, then she wouldn't have gotten you a violin knowing you didn't like it."

Weiss frowned in contemplation, the idea suddenly much more plausible. "How would you know?"

Ruby thought of Emerald and smiled, "One of my family members is like that." She said

Weiss hummed in thought as she reminisced about her sister, wondering if it was possible, but instead, a yawn came out. "I suppose it could be true." She paused thinking about her father, "Are you still scared of your family sometimes?"

"No." Ruby said, though paused as she continued twiddling her fingers together, "My family is… very possessive of me. They always get angry whenever anything bad happens to me. Especially my sister, if she even _thinks_ something bad is going to happen to me, she gets super paranoid about it and hovers over me. But I think that's because she can be a little... selfish with me. I'm sure if she could, she'd have me glued to her back." Ruby laughed.

"It wasn't until a few years ago she finally allowed me to venture out by myself." Ruby confessed, but then paused in thought. "Though to be fair, that was because I was being f- I mean…. There were some… problems that didn't allow me to go out by myself before." She nervously confessed, remembering all the times she used to be followed by investigators.

"She sounds extremely overprotective of you." Weiss commented.

"Your sister isn't?" Ruby asked

Weiss hummed, "It's difficult for me to say," She confessed. "Winter is… everything my father wished for his oldest child to become, but she is also everything he despises. Due to that reason, she understands the weight of his standards the most and I would like to think that she tries to help alleviate that from me."

"I recall once, while I was learning how to fence, my father forced me to continue practicing until I remembered every single dust combo with our glyphs. I wasn't allowed to eat, sleep, or rest until I performed each of them to his utmost standards. If I had made a mistake, I was fiercely reprimanded and told to start over from the beginning. " Weiss said very easily, as though it were the norm. Ruby however, winced at the idea, unable to fathom that dedication forced down upon her partner. "Winter though, relieved my father of his… teaching session, and took his place. Before he left, he was very clear that I was required to have mastered each form within the following hours; otherwise there would be consequences. After, the lesson became… gentler. While she was still strict, it was easier to bear."

Weiss paused; recalling the violin her sister gifted her, "Now that I think about it, Winter intervened a lot on my behalf. I never questioned it, as I was merely happy to have her company over fathers'. However, I wonder if this was her way to protect me from him."

Ruby was silent as she allowed Weiss to contemplate on this issue, and allowed the next few minutes to be left for her partner.

Finally, a small yawn escaped from Weiss's mouth as she allowed her eyes to close. "Ruby?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you." Weiss said, "I know I was initially against it, but I'm grateful that you're my partner."

A heavy weight settled on Ruby's chest as she turned her head toward Weiss, noting how her breathing pattern was growing more calm, and steady; an indication of sleep starting to overcome the other. Ruby chewed the inside of her cheek as air caught in her throat. She had to swallow past it though, as words wished to tumble out of her mouth as she shifted uncomfortably on her bed. "Thanks for being mine." She said, "And Weiss?"

Weiss hummed in question.

"You're so much more than your name is."

A small smile came across Weiss's features, causing the weight to grow heavier in Ruby's chest as she realized the implication of her reassurance.

She continued lying with the uncomfortable feeling, watching and waiting for Weiss's breathing to grow steadier.

When she recognized Weiss had completely immersed herself in sleep, Ruby slowly and quietly got up from her bed and moved over to the window. Casting a glance back at Weiss, Ruby allowed a sad smile to cross her features, as the circle under her eyes grew heavy, as though envious of the sleep Weiss was obtaining. Before the bed Ruby claimed could lure her back though, she turned and silently opened the window, and swung herself back out into the chilly air.

Ensuring that the area was clear, Ruby continued making her way into the alleyways before pulling a scroll out. She opened up the map where her sister had sent her the coordinates to Adam's location, and began to make her way around the town. As she got closer and closer to the North gate, the direction of which her team and Glynda had entered from, she began to fidget about with her appearance in an attempt to change it.

She took out Weiss's wallet from inside her coat along with a hairband, and shifted the large wallet to the inside pocket of her vest before pulling her coat off and rolling it lengthwise to tie it around her waist. She pulled her hair up to the best of her ability, and tied it for a small bushy ponytail. She unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt, and began to roll up her sleeves. Reaching further down into her back pocket, she pulled out two bobby pins and clipped them to push her hair further to the side.

Exiting an alleyway, she passed by a display window, the same one from before showcasing jewelry, and glanced at her appearance.

It wasn't much, but the guards shouldn't be able to recognize her. However… there was one thing she was missing.

Looking around, she spotted someone with sunglasses hanging from their shirt and she smiled. There was always one person around carrying their accessory carelessly.

Marking the course of where they were walking, she tilted her head down and hurriedly walked toward them. As she had planned she nearly bumped into them and brought her hands up against their shoulders as though to stop them.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going!" She sheepishly said as she made eye contact with them, slipping their glasses off and sliding her hand to their shoulders to hold them steady.

"It's no problem. Just be careful next time." The person said.

"Thanks" Ruby smiled, before hurrying away.

When she deemed she was far enough from her victim, Ruby opened the glasses and placed them over her eyes with a small chuckle.

It didn't take long for her to reach back to where she entered from this morning as she easily walked through the gates. She continued trekking on the road until she was certain she was out of sight, and pulled into the forest.

As she began running, she checked the time on her scroll and knew that she didn't have much time before her team came back or woke up. So, she hurried her pace and put her scroll away before unfolding her hook swords to leap and swing from a tree branch on occasion. Sometimes, she would stop, looking around until she found a small indication of where to go next; three slash marks and a fourth awkward one, before she continued her path.

For about a little under three quarters of an hour, she finally saw a small village, abandoned and nearly in ruins exempting a few houses and warehouses. She sighed in relief, before pulling herself up higher into a tree near the edge of the village and began untying her coat.

She didn't have her uniform on her, so it was necessary that she snag a standard issue set of clothing and mask in order to prevent a commotion from other members. However, to do that, she had to get rid of her extra layers. So she hung up her coat and vest high into the tree, along with her new glasses, and hid them as best as possible where no outlying members would take her belongings, and out of reach of Grimm.

Once finished, she dropped down, undoing her hair before striking the tree three times diagonally to mark it like an Ursa would before setting off into the village.

Sneaking around, she climbed to the rooftops and kept her head low as she searched for an extra set of masks and vests. Despite how worn out the buildings looked, it seemed as though they were all holding rather steadily and looked as though there was a small community residing there.

After a while of no such luck, she gave up and searched around for a lone member lazing around, which was much easier. She quickly found someone catching some Z's behind a few crates, and slowly lowered herself near them with her hook swords.

Gently pulling their mask off and putting it on herself, she hurriedly made her way out and began searching for one of the higher ranked members.

Upon finding one, she went up to them and saluted as properly as she could. "Sergeant! I need to deliver a report to Mister Taurus from Miss Fall!"

The sergeant hummed, "Very good. You'll find him over at his office. Just down the street, make a right at the second cross, and fourth building on the left of the cul de sac."

"Thank you Sergeant!" Ruby reported before turning tail and following their directions, her breath heavy from exertion.

When she got the chance, she was definitely going to drink some water.

Finding the small office building, Ruby forgoed the front door and went around instead. She climbed up to the second story window using an old pipe, and pulled out a hook sword to grab hold of it, bracing it on her back and the handle at her side. With both her hands free, she pulled open the window, and swung herself in after freeing her sword.

Only to land right down the hallway where two guards were stationed at the end.

Ruby mentally face palmed herself, not believing she had not take caution before entering the building.

"What do you think you're doing?" One of the guards demanded

"You can't just go around doing that!" The other stated

"I'm uh…" Ruby stuttered, "I'm here to deliver a report to Adam Taurus on behalf of Cinder Fall."

"Not likely," One guard stated, "You're coming with us to be detained. Then we'll see if Commander Taurus is willing to meet with you."

Ruby mentally rolled her eyes. If that happened, Adam would never see her.

As the guards began closing in on her, she jumped up, digging the ends of her hooks into a beam on the ceiling to help her swing over the two and get behind them. She rushed over to the door, not wanting to hurt either of the guards. Just as the door came in reach though, she was tackled to the ground, and felt two heavy bodies on top of her.

Ruby groaned as the weights gave her lungs difficult to breath. "Get off me…" she grunted

"No way. We're calling back up and throwing you into confinement." The guard at the top of the pile said.

Ruby heavily groaned, "Adam!" She called out.

As though answering her call, the door in front of her opened to reveal a tall man in black, and though a red accented white fang mask obscured his eyes, Ruby could tell he was looking down at her with curiosity.

"What the hell is going on here?" He asked

"Sir!" One of the guards voiced, "An intruder infiltrated the premise. We were just about to detain them."

Adam heaved a grievous sigh, "Don't you dorks know how to use your eyes?"

"Uh… Sir?"

"Get up." Adam ordered, causing the two to scramble off Ruby.

Ruby sighed in relief as she began to get up, only to be lifted under her arms like a sack of flour by Adam.

"See this?" He asked, holding her in front of him, causing her to adopt a stern look of disbelief. "This is Cinder's sister, the younger Fall. You can tell by how puny she is."

Finding his description of her unacceptable, Ruby began flailing her hook swords and legs around in midair. "Fight me Adam!" Ruby screamed as the two guards leaned away from her to avoid getting hit.

Though, that was when both of the guards realized exactly what her weapons were and gasped in recognition. Quickly they snapped to attention, "Fall! Ma'm, we're so sorry for our insubordination." One of them said.

"It's fine." Ruby said, sagging in Adam's hands as she gave up trying to escape. Why was everyone like this? "I'm not in uniform so you couldn't tell."

The two continued standing rigidly with tense shoulders and continued saluting her. She arched a brow, until she noticed their hands slightly tremble.

She rolled her eyes as she realized that they were scared of her sister, "Don't worry, I'm not going to tell on you."

The two sighed in relief as Adam leaned out from behind Ruby, "You heard her. Now get back to your stations men." He ordered before turning around and entering back into his office.

Using his foot to close the door, he finally put Ruby down before he heavily put his hand down on her head and messily ruffled her hair. "What's up kiddo? It's been awhile."

Ruby grinned as she puffed her chest out, "I'm sure you've heard by now, but I am currently a top infiltrator!" She said with a bit smugly. "Sis even trusts me enough to send me on top secret missions."

"No kidding. You would be here otherwise." Adam said, stopping so he could walk over to his desk and lean against it. He took off his mask to reveal his brown eyes and a diagonal scar across his face from his right eyebrow to his left cheek. "You have time to talk or do you need that report?" He asked, placing his mask down on the desk and trading it for an unopened bottle of water and holding it out to offer.

Ruby hummed, glancing over at the clock that indicated around mid afternoon as she took off her own mask. "I think I can spare a few extra minutes." She said, taking the bottle and immediately opening it to take a few gulps.

Glancing at her face, Adam couldn't help but snort. "Damn. You look ugly. What happened to your face? Not getting enough sleep?"

Ruby huffed as she finished more than half the bottle, "I am. I can't say the same to you though, you still have those creases on your huge forehead." She said, poking him at said place.

Adam chuckled as he playfully pushed Ruby's hand away, "Those are cause I'm old. What's your excuse?"

"It's cause I'm actually working unlike you lazy butt." Ruby claimed, spitting her tongue out and causing Adam to laugh even more.

"And? How do you like school? Still being an ace at some subjects and not so much on others?" He asked, chuckling at his own joke.

Ruby could only give him a light jab at his chest while rolling her eyes and shaking her head in amusement. "How long have you been holding on to that?"

"Since you told me." Adam said with an exaggerated shrug.

"You could just say it for yourself." Ruby said

"Yeah, but that's no fun."

Ruby merely huffed.

"But in all seriousness, are you alright?" He asked, "I know going undercover is a lot of work. Especially for a kid like you."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked

"Well, unlike Cinder and the rest of them-" he spat out causing Ruby to slightly wince, "-You actually like being nice to people." Adam commented with an easier tone.

"I even hear you're the leader of a team." He continues, "That can't be easy for you. You've always prioritized your squad over yourself, I don't see how it would be different now that you're in Beacon."

Ruby frowned, twiddling with the mask as she looked down in thought. A small shiver coursed through her as she suddenly realized how chilly it was despite being indoors. Her shoulders sagged as she looked back up at Adam, "To be honest, it feels kind of tiring." She confessed sheepishly. "I just… feel tired all the time now."

Adam reached up and squeezed Ruby's shoulder. "I hear ya kid. It must be hard for you to tell your sister huh?"

Ruby snorted, "If I told her, she'd pull me out in a heartbeat." She claimed, "But… I don't think she would really understand why I was tired… I sometimes don't even know why _I'm_ tired."

Adam frowned, his hand falling as he crossed his arms. "You remember me telling you about my old partner?"

"The one who left?" Ruby asked, causing him to nod.

"Yup. I didn't know this at the time, but every time we went on a mission in recent years, she was always tired. Especially around me." Adam said, "She left saying that she couldn't keep doing what we were doing anymore, she doesn't think the casualties that occur during our mission is right. But I do. And I think, that's what exhausted her. The two of us use to be close, and while we had similar views, we believed in different ways to achieve them. So, being around me made it difficult. It became tiring and she began to feel guilty for harboring those thoughts because she knew it would hurt me."

Ruby looked up at Adam in confusion, but also in awe as he usually never talks about his now ex-partner.

"I think that's what you're going through." Adam said, "I think… you've made some friends… and you feel guilty for knowing you're going to hurt them."

Ruby frowned, her heart lurching in agreement with what Adam said. Her eyes welling up at the cold truth as her body shivered. She could feel something running down her nostrils, but it wasn't enough to sniffle up just yet while a hard lump formed in her throat. "I don't know what to do Adam…"

"You do what you feel like you need to." Adam said, "You deserve to be happy with what you believe in."

Ruby sniffled, rubbing her eyes with her shoulder. "But, I'm happy with Cinder. I'm happy being with everyone. I believe what we're doing is worth fighting for. But I.." her voice broke, a hiccup escaping her throat as she sniffled harder.

Adam stayed quiet for a moment, but spoke softly. "I found out about how my partner felt before she left. I was devastated when I found out." He confessed, "I never wanted her to feel like she couldn't tell me anything, but I didn't want her to feel like she did anymore… so I made it easier for her."

Ruby continued her silent hiccups, but looked at him to show she was listening as her shoulders continued shaking.

"I… hurt her." He said with a regretful smile. "I knew, if it was up to her, she would stay until she broke… So, I pushed her some more. I made her do things I was more than happy to do, but knew it made her uncomfortable. Until she finally left. And you know something? She deserves it. She _deserves_ to be happy. Even if it means cutting me off from her life."

He looked up, straight into Ruby's eyes as he reached her arms with a firm grip. "There is no way, anyone is coming out of this not feeling hurt." Adam said, "But you deserve to be happy kid. _You_ do what needs to be done to be happy and just know, I'm with you."

Ruby sniffled again, tears freely falling down her face as she nodded her head with her eyes tightly shut. "Okay." She whimpered

"Okay?" Adam asked

"Okay." Ruby repeated

"Good." Adam smiled, wiping some of the tears off Ruby's face with his own sleeve. "Now let's clean off that ugly mug of yours so I can hand you a report."

Ruby couldn't help but give a watery laugh as she nodded, wiping her face some more.

When she was finished, Adam smiled as he leaned back and pulled out his large scroll off his desk.

"So we're up to standards with the captured Grimm." He said, "And we have enough jets for transportation with them and my faction members. I've gotten them all up in shape, and each, aside from my Lieutenants, have upgraded military weapons. If you hand me your scroll, I'll send you further report files on the exact training regimen, number of Grimm, and types."

Ruby nodded as she pulled her scroll out and handed it over. "You know, you could have just sent it to sis. It would have been a lot easier."

Adam lightly scoffed, "If I can avoid speaking to her, then I will. Besides, it worked out pretty fine anyway right?"

Ruby couldn't help but smile and nod, "Yeah."

Adam gave a smile of content, lightly ruffling Ruby's hair after putting her scroll down. "In summary, we'll be ready to invade Vale during the Vytal festival." He said, sending all the information with a swipe.

Ruby nodded as she picked up her scroll and went through the new information she received. "Okay. Is there anything you need for the people under you? I'll do what I can to help."

Adam gave an affectionate smile at her as he shook his head, "It's things like this that make me wonder how you could grow up being so different than Cinder." He said, "It's probably because you two have different genes."

"But with the power of love, we can overcome anything! Even blood!" Ruby declared with a fist pump into the air.

"Well, maybe with your power of love, you could convince your sister to send food here." Adam said. "Since we're so far out from the next town, it's a little difficult to get them in bulk. Especially considering the conditions of the town. And I don't know how cold it is down where you're at, but we could use a few more blankets up here."

Ruby nodded in understanding, "I'll be sure to send you a few crates of food and extra supplies for warmth. Just send me a number."

Adam seemed to sigh in relief, "Thanks kid. This is why I prefer working with you than Cinder, dealing with you is a lot easier."

Ruby looked up at Adam carefully, "You know Cinder appreciates what you do right?" She asked in a near whisper, as though Cinder herself would come out of nowhere to show she was listening. "She always has nothing but high praise for your work whenever she looks it over."

Adam skeptically looked at Ruby with curious eyes, "Is that your sister senses telling you that? Or does Cinder actually say so?"

Ruby frowned, feeling slightly offended for not being believed "She-"

Adam laughed, "I'm joking kid." He said, "But thanks. I... appreciate the sentiment."

Ruby smiled, glad that Adam knew how much he meant.

"You should get going." Adam suggested as he leaned over to his desk and grabbed his mask, "I'll walk you out."

"Okay." Ruby easily agreed, putting her own borrowed mask on.

"Where'd you leave your stuff?" He asked as the two walked out.

"South east of here."

"Got it."

As Adam led her over in that direction, the two were greeted with crisp salutes from the members of his faction.

Thankfully, no one seemed to wish to speak with Adam, and the two made it over to the tree rather quickly.

Hopping up to gather her belongings, she straddled a branch as she began taking off the uniformed vest and dropping it over Adam as she pulled her own vest on.

"Hey Adam?" Ruby asked.

"Hm?" He hummed, folding the vest over his arm.

"Did it hurt?" She asked softly, referring to his parting with his partner.

He paused, looking down at the ground with interest. "It did."

She was silent for a moment, shuffling on her sash and tightening it before throwing her coat on and ensuring she had all her belongings. "Will it always hurt?"

Adam didn't say anything. Not until Ruby dropped down from the tree in front of him, and even though the two still had their masks on, he didn't have to look into her eyes to know that she needed the truth. "I don't know."

She inhaled sharply, though forced herself to give a terse nod of acknowledgment. "Do you regre-"

"No." He interrupted. "I don't regret that we par-" He froze, his words stopping at the tip of his tongue before he gritted his teeth and stared down at Ruby's obscured face sadly.

"I only regret _how_ we parted… And that…" He swallowed harshly, his throat visibly bobbing. "I never kept or gave her anything as a reminder of each other… But, perhaps that's a good thing… Or maybe I'm just selfish." He said with a wry smile.

A dark chuckle escaped from his mouth as he shook his head, "I think I just have a bad personality."

Ruby could only give a sympathetic smile before taking off her mask and handing it to Adam. "Thanks Adam."

"Anytime kid, and remember," He said, ensuring he had her complete attention. "I'm here for you."

Ruby smiled gratefully, "Will you be there when I-"

"Every step of the way." Adam said, reaching up to her shoulder to give her a quick squeeze. "I'm just a scroll dial away."

Ruby nodded, before throwing her arms around him. He slowly wrapped his own arms around her, giving her a tight squeeze and she could swear she hear a light sniffle and shaky exhaled breath, but chalked it to her imagination.

"Stay safe kid." Adam said as he let her go.

Nodding, she gave him a bright, sunny smile before waving good bye to him, and began running the other way.

By the time she reached back into town, with her makeshift disguise already on, the sun was already close to the horizon as she entered through the gates.

Ruby duck back into an alleyway to quickly fix her look as she continued speed walking through. Upon finishing up and exiting back out on the street, she saw the jewelry store that she had passed twice that day, Nostalgic Things, across the way and paused. Looking both ways, she crossed over to take a glance into the display window, and saw thin cuff bracelets with bronze, gold, and silver intricately woven around one another like a braid.

Adam's words of not being able to keep a momento of a lost friend, or being able to give her a gift rang in Ruby's mind as she stared at the item. Her heart seemed to slow down in its beating, the sound weighing in her mind...

Before she even realized what she was doing, she was already making her way inside the shop, and looking around.

It wasn't exactly a high-end shop, however, she did noticed that the clerk was wearing business casual clothing. She walked over to shelved items, lifting up a clean silver picture frame, and turned it around to check the price tag.

60 Lien.

By golly, why would anyone pay that much for a picture frame?

Putting it back, she went to the next aisle and looked at the prices for watches and lighters.

All ranging between 80-200 Lien.

She hummed, looking around and found a shelf for accessories on clearance each costing 50 or more Lien. Picking up three plain silver cuff bracelets, she continued standing there at the same spot examining them, until the clerk walked up to her.

"Good evening, are you finding everything okay?" they asked

Ruby smiled, letting her hands fall to her side. "Oh actually, I was hoping to take a closer look at the bracelets on the display window that have bronze, gold, and silver?" she said, pointing back to the front with her free hand.

"Ah yes." The clerk nodded, "They're actually right on over there in our display case. Would you like to take a look?"

"Yes please." Ruby nodded.

"Right this way." The clerk said, leading Ruby over to the case as she inconspicuously pocketed the bracelets. "Might I ask who these are for?"

"My… friends." Ruby said. "There are three of them. I just wanted to… get them a thank you present for everything they've done for me."

"I can tell they mean a great deal for you." The clerk smiled, getting behind the display case and unlocking the door to get the bracelets out.

A hard lump in Ruby's throat formed, and she smiled, swallowing past it. "They do."

"Well, here they are." The clerk said, pulling three out just like in the display window.

Ruby looked at the bracelets and gave a small smile. "Actually, is it possible to get a fourth one? That's just plain silver?" She asked, knowing that there was not one available in the display case.

The clerk hummed. "Hold on, let me just go in the back to check."

Ruby smiled, "Just silver." She reminded, "Because I'm a little different from them and I feel like just a plain silver band is the best way to show it."

The clerk nodded, a humorless laugh sounding from them. "Of course." The clerk said before leaving.

The moment the door to the back closed, Ruby took the bracelets out of her pocket with one hand and picked the other three up. Pretending to examine the ones she wanted, she quickly shuffled them with the others, and pocketed the braided designed bracelets.

"Actually! I'm really in a hurry! So I need to go right now, but I'll be back in the next few days to pick up the plain silver band!" Ruby called out loudly.

The sound of someone stumbling was heard, "Uh- O-Okay! J-Just give me a moment to see you out!"

Ruby waited until the clerk hurried out of the back and smiled. "Thank you for your time, you were really helpful." She said, making direct eye contact with the clerk.

"You're very welcome. Are you sure I can't-"

"I'm really sorry, but my supervisor kind of needs me back in a hurry." Ruby said turning around, "Have a nice day!" She said with a wave before exiting the building.

Once she was out, she began hurriedly making her way down the street. The moment she turned corner though, she nearly ran into someone, but was stopped short as hands grabbed her shoulders to steady her.

"Oh! Hello again Ruby!"

Snapping her head up at the familiar voice, Ruby couldn't believe how much of a coincidence this was. "Pyrrha!" She said in shock, "What are you doing here?"

Pyrrha smiled happily at Ruby, her hands sliding down to lightly grip Ruby's arms as Ruby raised her hand to lightly hold onto Pyrrha's forearms instinctually, clinging onto familiar warmth. "This is the town my team has been stationed." She answered. "I take that it's the same for you?"

Ruby nodded, still in shock, though mostly at the sight of Pyrrha's clothing. She wasn't in her usually hunting attire, but instead, was wearing casual clothes with a maroon, scoop neck knitted sweater, a mustard knitted scarf, black jeans, and brown boots. Pyrrha looked incredibly warm and it was easy to tell from the warmth emitting to Ruby's otherwise freezing hands, and the young leader found herself slightly envious. "Yeah. We're finally getting a break today though, so we're in town for now. I think we're going to get back out tomorrow though."

"I see," Pyrrha said in understanding, "And how is your mission fairing?"

"Besides this morning, really well." Ruby confessed

Pyrrha suddenly frowned in concern, lowering her head as though to get a better look at Ruby, "Are you alright? You're not injured are you?" She asked as her eyes glanced over Ruby's body.

"I'm fine." Ruby reassured, giving a light squeeze to Pyrrha's arms. "Just had a rude awakening with a large horde."

Pyrrha smiled as she breathed a small sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

Ruby hesitantly smiled back, letting her hands fall as Pyrrha followed, and Ruby found her hands grow cold again. "What about you?"

"My mission is going by incredibly well." Pyrrha nodded, pressing her hands together in front of her as though silently applauding, "I've learned so much from the sheriff already! Although, I must admit that this morning was rather tiring as well. There was a small, Faunus right's protest that took a turn for the worst on the North East end of town from the cops stationed there, however we managed to help disperse the protestors with little to no incidents. Regardless, it was incredibly informative on how to do so again peacefully, though the officers didn't seem too happy."

Ruby smiled at Pyrrha's good mood, "That's great!" She said just as the pressure to make haste started to weigh in on her subconscious, "I'd really like to hear it, but I kind of need to-"

"Oh of course!" Pyrrha nodded, "I must depart as well."

Ruby nodded, though neither seemed to make a move.

"You look cold." Pyrrha noted in a low tone.

"I'm fine." Ruby said, stuffing her cold hands into her pockets. "I have long sleeves and two extra layers!" She exclaimed, though slightly shuddered when a chilly wind came by.

Pyrrha lightly chuckles with a shake of a head, "It doesn't look warm to me… Here." Pyrrha said, extracting her scarf from her neck before placing it around Ruby's.

"Oh, I'm fine! Really!" Ruby tried to protest, though felt herself warm just as the scarf was placed on her.

Pyrrha merely smiled as she fussed over the young leader, tying the scarf. "There."

Slightly embarrassed, but completely grateful for the extra warmth, Ruby buried her head a little lower into the scarf. "You didn't have to."

"It was necessary." Pyrrha smiled.

"Thanks…" Ruby mumbled, "I'll see you around I guess." She said, this time taking a step away.

"Perhaps if I'm lucky again." Pyrrha said, waving goodbye.

Ruby merely smiled, waving back to Pyrrha as the two separated from each other.

As she turned around, her eyes suddenly grew heavy, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep at the spot with the comforting warmth.

It didn't take long for Ruby to reach back to the Inn, and as she swung herself through the window, she found Blake and Yang already in the room and Weiss just waking up with a yawn and a stretch.

"Hey Ruby." Yang greeted, completely unplaced by her appearance.

After months of seeing their leader exit and enter through the dorm window, it was only natural that they got used to it.

"Where were you?" Yang asked.

"Oh… uh…" Ruby stuttered, suddenly finding it difficult to find words for some reason as she reflexively ducked her head, burrowing further into the warm scarf, and shoved her hands into her coat pockets, only to find the bracelets.

Blake inclined her head toward Ruby with some concern, "Are you okay?"

"I was just…" Ruby fiddled with the bracelets in her pocket before she pulled them out. "Here, I got these for you guys." She said, holding them in front of her.

The confession made Blake and Weiss look at her with curiosity as they all got up and walked to her.

"Aw. Ruby! What's the occasion?" Yang asked with a light coo

"Nothing." Ruby said, "I just wanted to thank you guys… for being my… friends."

Blake smiled, "You're welcome Ruby. I think this is incredibly considerate." She said as she accepted one.

"It's super nice!" Yang declared as she took one as well, "You didn't have to do it though. Just thanks are enough."

Weiss stared down at the last bracelet in Ruby's hand and looked back up at her inquisitively.

"It's a gift…" Ruby said, gesturing it back toward Weiss as an offering. "So you have something to keep you connected to… your team. This way, you won't feel so lonely." She finished with a small smile.

Cautiously, and slowly, Weiss accepted the bracelet, turning it in her hand in slight awe. "I… don't know what to say Ruby." Weiss said, "This must have cost a fortune." She mentioned with a critical eye.

"Don't worry about it," Ruby waved off, "It's priceless."

Weiss frowned in thought, and upon remembering part of their conversation from this morning, narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"You didn't-"

Ruby's scroll rang, cutting Weiss off and allowing the leader leave as she answered it with a smile. "Hey Capt!"

Ruby suddenly frowned though as she nodded, "I understand, we'll come out right away." She said, and ended the call with her shoulders sagging.

"What's wrong?" Blake asked

"We need to go back out. There's a small congregation of agitated Grimm over on the East side and Glynda wants us to clear it out before it gets bigger." Ruby sighed, her eyes suddenly feeling heavy.

"We should get going then." Weiss stated, causing Ruby to nod as the team exited their room.

Being the last one out, Ruby noticed Yang examining her new bracelet with a small grin, and Ruby couldn't help but feel a little satisfied despite the small sting in her chest.

… Maybe, selfishness was a family trait.

* * *

 


	18. Dissension

 

Ruby groaned as she laid down on the ground, not at all caring about the dirt and grass stains that were smudging on the back of her coat and hood that she had pulled over her head. Her chest heaved with heavy breaths and her body ached all over while the cool evening breeze felt refreshing against her heated face, covered with sweat.

The rest of her team were also collapsed in various ways around her; Weiss was keeled over her legs while leaning on her sword for support, Yang was sitting on the ground with her hands supporting behind her, and Blake was sitting cross legged with her head hanging.

After three days since their semi break, they had finally finished clearing the area of Grimm and successfully allowed Glynda to repair the wall.

"Splendid work you four." Glynda praised with a small smile as she stood in front of them. "I think you've all earned the rest of the day off and tomorrow, until we depart in the evening."

Ruby grunted, "Thanks."

Glynda hummed in affirmation before shifting, "For now though, we do need to report back to the mayor."

The four groaned, their bodies aching in pain and exhaustion.

Weiss, already on her feet, moved over to help Blake up as Yang pushed herself to stand. Ruby however, was completely drained of energy and couldn't bring herself to stand. She had, at one point, been taken by surprise and was flung against a tree by an Ursa, only to be rammed further into it by a Boartusk right in her gut, and head butted upon keeling over.

Thankfully, her team had come to her rescue; Weiss had quickly intervened with the Boartusk and Yang had distracted the Ursa while Blake came in to pull their leader out of danger. However, with the number of Grimm that were surrounding them, Ruby had been left with no other choice but to continue fighting with dangerously low levels of aura.

Now, her aura was completely depleted and she could feel the full effects of ache and weariness.

… And she couldn't get up.

"Gu~ys!" Ruby whined.

"We got you, we got you." Yang said in a light tone while the three walked over to her.

Blake came up from the other side of Yang, and the two leaned down to grab an arm, and pulled her up as Weiss stood behind her to dust as much of the grass stains and dirt off.

"Thanks…" Ruby mumbled as she adjusted Pyrrha's dirt-free scarf more securely around her neck, while the group made their way back to the closest entrance.

"It's the least we could do." Weiss said, having finished brushing off as much dirt off Ruby as she could and gently pulled her hood down. "Considering that we're currently a bit more able bodied than you."

Ruby lightly grumbled, her eyes trained directly on the ground as she brought a hand up to the side of her head.

"What's wrong Rubes?" Yang asked in concern, lowering her head to try and get a better look at her leader.

"Headache." Ruby mumbled, wincing as she touched the sore spot above her ear.

Yang lightly tugged on Ruby's hand, taking a closer look at said area as she brushed her hair back. "Oh yeah, that's gonna leave a bump."

Ruby lightly groaned, not at all wanting to return back with such an annoying injury. How was she going to sleep on her side now?!

"Perhaps you should consider getting that checked up before resting." Glynda offered as they entered back into town. She pulled out a large scroll, opening it up to the four's status page. The bar below everyone's picture was well into the yellow, with Blake and Weiss nearly being equal and Yang being the highest. Ruby however, was completely drained save for a red line that was barely there. "It's likely that you have sustained some injuries considering the levels of your aura. And I do not wish to transfer some of my own to you in case there is an underlying problem that requires a more… gentle touch, which might require aura levels to be cut in order to prevent further injury.." Glynda stated.

"That sounds good." Yang agreed for Ruby, who immediately frowned.

"But I'm fine!" She protested.

"It would be safer if you went regardless." Weiss said

Before Ruby could say anything further though, a gentle hand on her shoulder gave her pause, and caused her to look up at Blake.

"We'd feel better if you went." Blake said, causing Ruby to wilt in resignation.

"Fine." She agreed.

Glynda smiled at the displayed banter before poking around on her scroll, "In that case, I'll send the coordinates to you and tell the doctor to be sure to expect a Ruby Fall." She said, finishing up doing so before pocketing the scroll. "In the meantime, I will be meeting with the mayor to relay our report."

"Thanks teach." Yang smiled

"Think nothing of it." Glynda said as she readjusted her classes, "Just ensure that Miss Fall is well taken care of."

"Yes ma'm." The team, save for Ruby, chorused back.

Glynda nodded in approval, "Good. I expect you all to be back in your room by curfew then. And please… refrain from getting into any trouble." She said, causing another series of agreements to chorus back to her before she departed.

"But I'm fine…" Ruby sulked as the four began making their way to the doctor's, though the rather harsh stumble she took contradicted her statement.

"Yes. Well," Weiss doubtfully agreed to humor her leader. "Let us depart to the doctor regardless." Weiss said in a tone that left no room for argument.

A small whine came from Ruby, not at all wanting to go.

"We can get food after," Blake offered. "Yang managed to find a good Eastern Mistralian place to eat while waiting for me a few days ago." She said, though Ruby's mood didn't seem to improve.

"Yeah, they have good food." Yang nodded in agreement. An idea came to her as she looked over to Ruby with a sly grin. "And they have really good strawberry shortcakes for dessert. We could grab as much as you want after the doctor looks you over."

Ruby perked up at the mention of a sugary treat, her mouth slightly watering. She attempted to hold fast though, as she refused to allow a mere mention of food to sway her decision in visiting a doctor.

"And, they have strawberry milk tea." Blake offered, immediately catching onto Yang's plan and causing Ruby to perk up even further. "You can ask them to put bubbles in it too. They come in all sorts of flavors."

Weiss frowned, staring at Blake with an arched brow.

"They have coffee too." Blake assured, causing Weiss to become pleased.

"So? What do you think Ruby?" Yang asked

Ruby's mouth contorted between a smile and pout, drool nearly spilling out from the corner at the idea of her favorite treats and flavors.

She hated how much strawberries had a control over her.

"Okay." She hurriedly relented out, no longer able to restrain herself any longer.

"I'm glad you've come to agree with us," Weiss said, stopping in her tracks before gesturing to a door of a rather small, one-story clinic. "Because we're here."

"On second thought-" Ruby hurriedly began, turning around to hightail it out of the vicinity just as Yang grabbed her and hoisted her into the air. That didn't seem to deter Ruby from attempting to run though, as her legs quickly moved into the air comically.

"It'll be quick. Don't worry!" Yang smiled carrying Ruby into the clinic as Blake held the door open.

"That's what they all say!" Ruby hissed. "But next thing you know! You're required to stay in a sucky bed overnight like Blake did! Then you wake up more sore than you should be because the bed SUCKS."

"Is _that_ why you don't like going to the nurse's office?" Weiss asked in disbelief.

"Well… The beds are pretty bad…" Blake offered, wincing at the memory of her stiff body the morning after staying in the nurse's office.

Weiss hummed, a small teasing smile crossing her face. "Perhaps you would have had a more pleasant time staying in mine then." Weiss suggested, causing Blake to suddenly choke on air.

"Make sure you don't leave her behind tonight." Yang chimed in, "Wouldn't want her to miss out on all the fun." She said as the two began snickering.

Blake groaned, her cheeks completely red while putting a hand on top of her head, as though to help cover her expression. "Why."

"Oh Blake," Weiss lightly began, her giggles slowly dying out. "I don't mean to cause you stress. If my… teasing seems to becoming much of a bother, then please don't hesitate to tell me. The last thing I wish to do is put a strain on our. Relationship." She finished awkwardly

Yang snorted, "Or lack of." She stated, causing Weiss to throw a small glare her way.

"Miss Goodwitch was correct, you certainly are a rowdy bunch." An older person mused as they came through the doorway of the lobby donning a white, medical coat. Upon gathering the four's attention, the doctor seemed to note the small leader being held up, an amused smile crept up on their face. "I assume the one being held captive is the illustrious Ruby Fall?"

"That's right doc." Yang grinned.

The doctor smiled, "Well then, if you could deposit her in the back then we'll go ahead and get started."

"I might as well be a postal package." Ruby grumbled, crossing her arms as Yang carried her into the back, legs dangling in air.

As promised, the checkup did not take long at all. After performing basic medical tests, the doctor easily determined that Ruby had a minor concussion and would not have to stay overnight, along with several other injuries, with bruised ribs being the most severe. However, due to her concussion, she was required to take an preventive aura shot that would last twelve hours in order to allow it to be relieved without interference.

In other words, she had to allow the bump at the side of her head to swell naturally, thereby leaving a light bruising to peek out to right temple and back under her hairline, instead of having her aura heal it. This was simply to prevent pressure to accumulate within her head, and to prevent her aura from causing said pressure to pop, and thereby spread.

Which was just as bad as staying overnight in a crummy bed since a lack of aura made it more difficult to sense her surroundings.

"C'mon Rubes, cheer up." Yang said as they exited the clinic. "It's only for twelve hours. You'll be sleeping for the last third anyway."

"But I still hate it. It feels weird!" Ruby whined, lightly shivering when a chilly breeze blew by and burying her face further into Pyrrha's scarf for more warmth. "I can't see well, and it's cold!" She complained referring to how the doctor had made her take out a contact lenses out after noting some slight swelling around her right eye.

Having no aura felt like having her senses, or what others call their sixth sense or intuition, turned down to mere static. While it was normal to most people, to a hunter it might has well felt like going about their day underwater.

"It certainly doesn't sound pleasant." Weiss stated, "I'm happy to say that I'm not jealous of your predicament."

"You shouldn't be." Ruby retorted

"The good news is that you'll get to fill your stomach up though!" Yang offered, "It'll be yummy!"

Ruby's stomach lightly grumbled, causing her to frown. "Are we close to it?"

Blake nodded as she pointed to a corner a few streets ahead. "It's just around that bookstore there."

Ruby followed the direction Blake was pointing to, and squinted. Not knowing which store Blake was referring to, but nodded regardless. "Okay."

"As for the rest of the day," Weiss began with a sigh. "We must be extra careful in what we get ourselves into considering Ruby currently doesn't have an active aura."

"Don't worry! We'll look after her." Yang grinned, heavily smacking Ruby on the back reassuringly.

Though the gesture backfired as she startled Ruby, causing her to stumble forward and trip over her own feet. Fortunately, both Blake and Weiss reached out to grab their leader before she face planted into the ground.

A sound that crossed between a whimper and groan crossed from Ruby's throat from pain and embarrassment of being taken by surprise, causing the other two to throw looks of disapproval toward Yang, who merely ducked her head sheepishly.

"Oops." She said.

Weiss shook her head as both she and Blake helped Ruby steady herself. "Perhaps we should keep you away from her… for her own safety." Weiss mused.

"Aw, don't be like that Weiss." Yang frowned. "It was just an accident. Won't happen again." Yang swore.

Weiss hummed surreptitiously, not sure whether or not she could believe such a promise.

"So long as there is no roughhousing, then I think we can trust her." Blake offered

Weiss sighed, "I suppose that's fair enough." She relented as the two let go of Ruby.

Ruby lightly groaned to herself in embarrassment for being treated as though she were fragile child. "I'm fine!" She whined, "I can take a few hits!"

"Considering how you nearly injured yourself, I have difficulty believing your statement." Weiss quipped as the four rounded the corner of the bookstore… and came across a small crowd of faunus marching further down the street holding multiple signs.

"What's going on?" Ruby asked, slightly squinting.

"Oh." Blake sounded, seemingly not surprised. "It's a protest for equal pay." She answered, looking closer to the signs being waved about and listening to the chants.

Ruby frowned, recalling how Adam mentioned how the conditions of the town made it difficult to obtain food for his faction. He must have meant how stealing food from the town would have starved Faunus out….

After all, if there was lack of food supply, then prices would go up. With unequal pay, the majority of faunus in town wouldn't be able to afford food alongside other humans that were poor or homeless.

Though… Conditions for Faunus were bad enough in town, it seemed that he didn't want to make life worse for them just to make those in his faction more comfortable.

Weiss gave a thoughtful hum, garnering Blake's attention.

"What's wrong?" Blake asked.

"Nothing." Weiss shook her head, "I was just thinking about how I hope it works out for them."

Slightly surprised, Blake widened her eyes at Weiss before glancing back to the crowd. "I… Yes… I hope so too."

Yang scratched her head with a frown, "I guess we'll be getting lunch with a crowd. Is that okay with you guys? Or do we want to go somewhere else?"

"But Yang." Ruby whined. "You promised!"

"Not everyone can sit through a protest rally with their favorite treat in front of them like you can Ruby." Yang lightly reprimanded while elbowing her leader.

Ruby merely pouted, turning back to the other two with wide, pleading eyes.

Blake shrugged, "I don't mind. I'm use to it."

Ruby turned her wide gaze over to the last teammate.

"I certainly do not wish to stand in the way of Ruby and her… addiction." Weiss commented, looking away from Ruby's pleading gaze and toward Blake. "Remnant forbid anyone who does…" She drawled, causing the corner of Blake's mouth to twitch in amusement

"YES!" Ruby cheered, throwing her hands into the air, garnering chuckles amongst everyone. "Can we go now? I want to go now. I'm going now." She excitedly said, already bouncing away and ahead on her feet without her friends.

Despite the sound of them protesting for her to slow down though, she hurriedly continued onwards, unable to wait to eat her snacks.

As she got closer to the store and protests though, she began to slow down upon seeing a tall, redheaded, blurry figure standing still at a respectful distance away from the protestors.

Curious, she completely walked past the cafe and toward the person to get a clearer look.

"Pyrrha?" She called, causing said person to perk up.

"Oh! Hello again Ruby!" Pyrrha happily greeted, relaxing her stance as she turned to face the young leader. "It's a delight to see you once more."

Shuffling on her feet a bit, Ruby lightly nodded in agreement, "You too." She said, "But what are you doing here?"

"Shadowing my Hunter." Pyrrha answered easily, gesturing behind her to the Sheriff overseeing the protest.

Ruby leaned over to the side to get a better look just as the rest of her team caught up to her, and found the Sheriff in question with hands folded in front of their body and completely unarmed while standing still as a statue in front of the building the faunus were protesting. Upon glancing over to the rest of team JNPR, who were all standing around the "corners" of the crowd, Ruby noted that they were all unarmed.

"And yourself?" Pyrrha asked

"We just finished our assignment." Ruby said with a small smug smile. "So Glynda said we can have the rest of the today and tomorrow off until we have to go."

A fond smile quirked on Pyrrha's face as she glanced over Ruby's dirty attire, "I'm certain that it's well deserved." She said before a small, inspective frown suddenly appeared upon noticing something. Leaning closer, her gaze focused on Ruby's right temple, and her eyebrows knitted up in concern as she brought a hand up to hover over the injury, only to hesitate before lowering it to place on Ruby's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, uh… Yeah." Ruby sheepishly nodded, ducking her head in slight embarrassment as she began to feel self conscious of her bruise. "I'm fine." She mumbled, nervously noting the warmth emitting from Pyrrha's hand.

"She most certainly is not." Weiss interjected in a matter of factly along with a huff, "Ruby here has a concussion, one that the doctor states must be healed naturally and without the assist of her aura."

"She took a few nasty hits along with that too." Yang pointed out, lightly nudging Ruby. "Got flung right to a tree and took a Boartusk charge straight to her gut and then some to her head."

Pyrrha's eyes slightly widened as she snapped her gaze over to Ruby who mentally groaned.

"It's fine." Ruby assured. "It's just a few bruises."

"I don't think having a few bruises mean it's fine." Pyrrha said, her hand coming up to lightly touch at the bump on the side of Ruby's head.

Ruby surprisingly didn't flinch upon contact as she allowed Pyrrha to measure the size of the injury.

"Are you sure it's okay for you to be walking about?" Pyrrha asked skeptically

"I'm sure." Ruby assured with a nod. "The doctor even said so!"

"So long as she doesn't do anything to aggravate her injuries or strain herself mentally or physically." Weiss interjected with a lone finger pointed toward the sky.

"I assume you will be resting for the remainder of the day then?" Pyrrha said more than asked with a small smile, as though silently demanding that Ruby did so.

"Uh…." Ruby stalled, knowing fully well that she was not doing so.

"We're actually going to the cafe just next door to eat." Yang said with a crooked grin while knowingly glancing between Pyrrha and Ruby.

Ruby looked up, noticing the corner of Pyrrha's lips curl down in disapproval and began scrambling for an idea to prevent her concern from being voiced. "You should come with us!" Ruby blurted, finding herself not at all opposed to the idea when she thought about it. "And uh. You can bring the rest of your team." She offered

Pyrrha's expression turned neutral before gazing at Ruby in contemplation.

Ruby stared up at the other, hopeful that she could still at least eat her shortcake and have her strawberry drink while unaware of the peculiar stares from her teammates.

Softening up, Pyrrha's shoulders drooped a little as an amused smile creeped at the corner of her mouth. "That would be nice. However, I'm not off until about-" She took her scroll out to check the time before pocketing it back in. "-fifteen minutes later. I would not wish to stall you from your snacks."

Ruby rocked on the balls of her feet happily at the statement, "It's fine. We can wait. Right guys?" She asked the rest of her team.

"I don't mind." Yang shrugged, "What's another fifteen minutes?" She asked, causing Weiss and Blake to nod in agreement.

"Then, if you insist." Pyrrha nodded, "I'll be sure to tell the rest of JNPR."

Ruby beamed, wiggling her fingers in farewell. "Okay! See you soon." She said, taking a step back, garnering a smile and wave from the other.

"I'll see you shortly." Pyrrha nodded in agreement.

As team RWBY began making their way over to the cafe and filed in one by one, a teasing smile began to creep up Yang's face as she leaned down to level her head with Ruby's.

"Sooo." She began.

Confused, Ruby turned toward Yang as the four took a table in the nearly empty cafe at the center, knowing that they could pull the table next to them together for when JNPR came in. "What?"

"Nothing." Yang shrugged as they all began taking a seat, "I just thought you wanted your food and drink as soon as possible."

"I do." Ruby agreed, shuffling her hands under her thighs as she began swinging her legs. She sighed, glancing over to the door within her view. "I hope they come soon."

"We could order a drink while waiting." Weiss suggested, eyeing the waiter coming their way.

"You guys can if you want." Ruby said, "I don't mind waiting."

"It's okay, we'll wait with you." Blake assured, throwing a glare at Yang who was about to open her mouth for a retort, that Blake knew all too well would come out of her mouth in regards to Ruby and Pyrrha. With her answer, Weiss brought a finger up to halt the waiter, causing him to nod in understanding before walking off.

Yang deflated, a small frown on her face at not being able to voice out her tease.

"How do you suppose their Hunter assigned work to them?" Weiss questioned, referring to team JNPR. "Professor Goodwitch had us fighting the Grim, though there is hardly much to be fighting for when in town while we're outside the walls. Do you think that they did simple police work alongside the Sheriff?"

"It looks to be that way." Blake said, "Otherwise they wouldn't be standing watch over the protest."

"I don't understand why they're unarmed though," Weiss continued. "All the protests I've seen have the offices standing by armed."

"It's to build trust." Ruby piped up, more than happy to be the one to offer information for once. "If the officers are unarmed, the protesters feel like they won't get hurt and the worst won't happen, so they can stay focused on their protest. If officers are armed, then the protest becomes tense between them and the protesters because then the protesters feel like something bad will happen, and they'll keep an eye on the police and what they're protesting." She finished, turning to Blake and Yang with an expectant look.

"She's… Correct." Blake nodded with a look of amusement as she nudged Ruby's foot from under the table as a gesture of congratulations.

"Since when did you get so smart?" Yang teased with a grin, throwing an arm over Ruby's shoulder to give her a quick noogie.

Though, she only managed to elicit another yelp of pain.

"Yang!" Weiss chastised as the other had immediately let go of Ruby.

"Sorry!" Yang sheepishly said.

"I'm okay…." Ruby responded with a hoarse groan.

Everything hurt, but at the moment, her ribs seemed to be pulsing in pain.

The sound of the door slamming open alerted the four, causing them to all turn or look in that direction and Ruby felt herself brighten up.

"Pyrrah!" She cheered.

"Hello again Ruby," Pyrrha smiled, "Weiss, Yang, Blake." She said, acknowledging the rest of the team.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Jaune said with a small wave.

"Nothing much," Yang answered, "Let's go ahead and pull the table over here." She said, getting up to grab one end.

"I've got it!" Nora volunteered for her team, quickly stepping ahead to grab the other end.

In no time at all, the tables were connected and everyone shuffled around to take their seats, Pyrrha taking the one next to Ruby while Jaune took the outside one, Nora and Ren sitting on the same side as Weiss and Blake.

"Have you four ordered yet?" Pyrrha asked, garnering a head shake from Ruby. "Do you know what you'd like to order?" She asked, slightly raising a hand to gesture for the waiter, prompting him to do so.

Ruby hummed, hunching over the table to look at the menu, "I waaaaaaant," She drawled, just as the waiter came up with a notebook and pen in hand, "Theeeeeeee, Pork Udon, an extra large Strawberry smoothie, Wiiiith…. Mango and Passion Fruit Jellies. And two Strawberry shortcakes." She finished, holding up two fingers by her face with a grin.

Pyrrha gave Ruby a fond smile as everyone else ordered their food and drinks, so immersed with watching her that she almost didn't hear the waiter.

"And for you?"

"Oh." Pyrrha snapped her head up, startled out of her reverie before glancing down at the menu, still not having decided on what she wanted, "I'll have the same as Ruby… with water instead."

Taking note of the final orders, the waiter smiled up at the group, "Your orders will be out momentarily." He said, collecting the menus from everyone before leaving.

"So what have you guys been up to?" Jaune asked, leaning over the table to look at Team RWBY

"You all were stationed out of the walls correct? How was it?" Ren further questioned, keeping his back straight.

"It was… challenging." Weiss informed, "However, it was an interesting experience, one that I would not mind participating in again."

"Yeah!" Yang nodded, "We definitely got a taste of what it's like being a hunter outside the safety of walls! But we held up!"

"Except for Ruby, however that didn't happen until today." Blake interjected.

"Oh," Ren turned to look at the other team's leader with some concern, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" Ruby waved off, "Just a few bruises here and there. Nothing a good snack can't fix!"

"If you'd like," Ren began, "When we return to the inn, I can make you a drink of a family recipe, one that will-"

"I'm sure Ruby will be fine with some cake!" Nora quickly intervened with a pale face. "No reason for you to make your drink Ren! No reason. At all!" She said with a tight smile.

Ren frowned, "But Nora, cake doesn't have the proper nutritions to-"

"So we followed the sheriff all week and let me tell you," Nora began, leaning her elbow on the table as she referred to the team, "There's a LOT more work that you'd think there would be."

Ren pouted, the sight amusing Yang before returning her attention to Nora. "What did you guys do?"

"Everrrrrrything!" Nora exaggerated, flopping her upper body across the table just as the waiter came back to serve everyone's drinks.

"The sheriff doesn't mind taking on cases meant for lower ranked officers," Pyrrha clarified, eyeing Ruby's large drink. "So we did many things ranging from an investigation due to a call of suspicion, to standing duty at the checkpoint, to chasing a thief on the street, to a murder scene." She finished in amusement as she watched Ruby happily pull the large drink that was tall enough that Ruby had to raise her chin a little. Undeterred by the size, Ruby's tongue peeked out to lick her lips as she reached up to pluck the cherry off the whip cream first to eat.

"Which was linked to our first assignment! The one that Pyrrha just mentioned." Nora perked up, drinking her raspberry lemonade

"Pyrrha found that out first." Ren stated with pride. "She recognized the voice of the murdered from listening to their voice inbox on their scroll, and connected them to the person who called."

"Were you able to arrest the person?" Weiss asked, glancing over to Ruby who already had gobbled up all of the whip cream, leaving quite a bit of the sugary confection around her mouth as she began slurping her drink happily, which left Weiss cringing in displeasure as she lifted her cup of coffee to daintily sip from.

Pyrrha nodded. "Yes, the murder happened to be the same person who we had to interrogate for suspicious behavior." She explained, lightly nudging Ruby to garner her attention. Upon getting Ruby to look at her, Pyrrha pointed to her own lips to indicate there was something on the shorter girl's mouth, prompting her to sheepishly wipe her mouth before returning back to her drink.

"We weren't able to arrest him the first time though," Jaune sadly said. "There wasn't enough evidence to bring him in because all he was doing was standing at the corner of the street to smoke."

He paused, "Maybe if we could have been more… I don't know… forceful to arrest him when the victim called... maybe we could have prevented the victim's death." Jaune sullenly said, causing everyone to go quiet.

… Save for the slurping sounds Ruby made.

"Ruby." Weiss lightly hissed, nudging her foot under the table and causing her to snap her head up in confusion with wide eyes. "Be more considerate."

Rudy didn't understand why Weiss was chastising her, and knitted her brow. "... Why?" She asked. "It's not like I knew the person…" She lightly shrugged, wanting nothing more than to get back to her drink.

"Because it's sensible." Weiss answered, inwardly cringing at her leader lack of tack and sensibility. It was one thing for the rest of team RWBY to experience Ruby's inability to keep her opinions to herself, however Weiss knew that most others wouldn't welcome it. Pyrrha seemed to be an exception, as she seemed used to Ruby freely speaking her mind.

Ruby glanced over to the others in team JNPR, noting that Ren and Nora seemed to be keeping their gazes away from Jaune, whom seemed to be clenching his fists in anger as he frowned in disapproval at Ruby.

"I didn't think you were so… heartless." Jaune said in an accusatory tone.

The air suddenly shifted as Yang rose up from her seat, glaring at Jaune as Blake bared her teeth.

"The two of you need to calm down." Weiss hissed, grabbing hold of Blake's arm while throwing Yang a pointed look. It seemed enough as she sat herself back down with a small growl.

"Jaune." Pyrrha warned with furrowed brows.

"Well it's true!" Jaune gestured, "She basically said that she doesn't care if anyone gets killed, so long as she doesn't know them."

Weiss rolled her eyes at the statement, her hold tightening on Blake to indicate her ire.

"You're exaggerating now." Ruby said, voicing out Weiss's thoughts.

Jaune slammed his hands down on the table, glaring at Ruby. "You didn't care for the person. You admitted it yourself!"

"I don't know anything about the person!" Ruby exasperated, not understanding why he was so worked up. "They're dead, and all I know is that some unknown person died and that I have a really good drink in front of me that makes me happy and I'm not drinking it."

"A stupid drink is more important than someone's life?" Jaune asked with incredulity.

"When they're already dead, then yeah!" Ruby said throwing her hands in the air, "And if you keep getting worked up over one death, then maybe you're not cut out to be a hunter!"

Jaune recoiled away, "Well- I- What if it was someone you did know huh? What if that was your family?"

"You can't argue with what if's Jaune." Ruby groaned, why was she even arguing with him? Besides, the idea of anyone in her family being killed was impossible. The chances of all the stars going missing would be higher. "Because now I get to play the what if game and say, maybe if you were faster at catching the murderer, then the person wouldn't have died."

"You-!" Jaune nearly snapped.

The sound of hands slamming on the table shocked him, causing him to nearly fall out of his chair in surprise.

"Jaune." Pyrrha eerily said in a calming tone, a piercing glare thrown his way as she stood. "Perhaps you should go back to the inn to rest. It has been a long week for us after all."

"But-!" He tried to protest.

"Before you say something that could cause someone to get hurt." Pyrrha gritted.

Blinking back, he glanced at the others around the table, noting Ren's head shake of disapproval at him and Nora's narrowed eyes. Blake's eyes shifted between Pyrrha and Ruby, while Weiss and Yang looked way's else.

Confused at what was happening, Ruby looked toward Pyrrha in concern, who seemed to be trembling, keeping her head cast down and refusing to look at anyone.

Jaune noticed this, and his eyes widened in realization of what he almost did. He slowly got up, his attention solely on Pyrrha as his hands hovered. "Pyrrha? I-I'm so-"

"Just go Jaune." Pyrrha wearily sighed, bringing a hand up to her brow. "You need to rest."

Reluctantly, Jaune retracted his eyes as he nodded, a sad look on his face.

Pyrrha's eyes moved to the side, quickly looking at Ruby's visible confusion and concern… and paled. "I'll walk you out." Pyrrha said, pushing her chair back to escort him out just as the waiter came with their food.

Everyone fidgeted about, keeping silent - save for the quiet expression of gratitude thrown the waiter's way - as they each continuously glanced up at Ruby and outside where Pyrrha, and Jaune were before glancing back down. (Ren being the only one to whisper to the waiter to box up Jaune's food)

"Soooo…." Nora awkwardly began, eliciting a choked cough from Yang.

"Please forgive Jaune." Ren apologized, glancing toward Ruby, "He… hasn't been well the past few days. He took some time prior to that to befriend the victim before the murder, so he has been taking the situation… harshly. Pyrrha has been, trying to support him through his grief while carrying the responsibilities for our team."

Ruby hummed, snapping her chopsticks apart and slid them against each other to rid of any splintering wood. Subtly, she glanced out the window to see Pyrrha and Jaune facing each other, seemingly having a… heated disagreement of some sort if the saddened look on Pyrrha's face and the angered frustration Jaune were anything to go by.

Pyrrha brought a hand up as a gesture to halt Jaune as her shoulders sagged and she brought a hand up to her forehead.

It seemed to make Jaune deflate before he nodded, causing Pyrrha to look at him with a sad smile before putting a hand on his shoulder.

A small frown crossed Ruby's face before she turned her attention back to her food. "Okay." She shrugged hunching over to pull some noodles up, causing the steam from the food to puff up even more before continuing to stir.

Ren and Nora gave questioning glances over to each other before hesitantly looking back up at the rest of Ruby's team who merely shrugged in turn, as though saying they had given up on how she thinks.

Ruby continued mindlessly shifting her noodles around to cool them.

Knowing that Pyrrha hated being placed on a pedestal, Ruby doubted that she was enjoying her new responsibilities as the de facto leader of JNPR…

"Though I have to admit that hearing Ruby say that about someone surprised me." Nora exclaimed, "She always seemed so sensitive!"

The comment caused Weiss to choke on air, "Ruby? Sensitive?" She asked in disbelief.

"Well… About people… uh. Dying." Nora offered.

"The concept of death is something someone gets use to when they grow up outside kingdom walls." Blake explained, glancing over to Weiss. "Or with a lot of people around you dying." She added.

"It still doesn't excuse murder." Yang pointed out with a frown.

"Of course not." Weiss said, "However, I believe what Blake was saying was that someone like Ruby would find it difficult to empathize with a victim she doesn't know, if she grew up with people dying around her. I'm certain were it someone she did know, such as ourselves, then she would be upset."

Ruby paused, her hand suddenly stiff as her noodles fell from her chopsticks. Her chest suddenly ached as the image of Yang, Weiss, or Blake on the floor in blood or burning filled her mind, causing her hand to tremble.

Her mind suddenly became flooded with past fights and what ifs. It would have been possible for Roman to have killed one of them when he was in the Paladin. It would have been possible for her, Roman, and Neo to overwhelm one of them during their fight at the docks.

A lob in her throat formed, making it hard to breath as her mind looked to the future, where the possibility of one of them being killed became all too real in the face of Cinder's plan to make Beacon fall.

The door slammed shut, startling her to drop her chopsticks into her bowl as Pyrrha walked in.

"How is he?" Ren asked.

"He's calmed down now. He's just returning to the inn to rest." Pyrrha said, taking her seat and glancing over to Ruby with a smile.

Only to frown in concern.

"Ruby? Are you okay?" Pyrrha asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Ruby grew cold, looking up at Pyrrha with wide eyes, only to see the image of Pyrrha on her knees with a blade through her chest.

Her heart clenched tightly in her chest as her breath got caught in her throat, the feeling of fear suddenly overwhelming her as she jumped back and fell off her chair.

A sudden pain bursted from the back of her head, making her see stars in the ceiling… and on Pyrrha who was hovering over her with panic.

Ruby couldn't make out what Pyrrha was saying though, as ringing pierced through her ears.

The only things she could tell though, was that everything ached… her heart, her throat, her eyes…

And that it was cold.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Hello All! I apologize for such a late update. I've recently obtained a second job so writing is going to be a lot slower. ^^; However I still wish to continue writing this until I'm finished, so I thank you all for being so patient and supportive of me!
> 
> Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Cross posted from Fanfiction net


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